


Spymaster

by Luwan_Kyuu



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Betrayal, Dom Solas (Dragon Age), Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Jealous Solas (Dragon Age), Jealousy, Lies, Past Lavellan/Solas (Dragon Age), Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser DLC, Rape/Non-con Elements, Romance, Solas is Fen'Harel (Dragon Age)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:08:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23716468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luwan_Kyuu/pseuds/Luwan_Kyuu
Summary: Solas seeks to tear the veil and the Inquisitor is determined to stop him. After her last encounter with Fen'Harel, she decided to do everything in her power to stop his madness.Having decided to keep the Inquisition, Ellana Lavellan works with Leliana, now known as Divine Victoria, and her friends and advisors to counter Fen'Harel's agents, starting with a purge within the Inquisition itself.With no more spies infiltrating her ranks, Fen'Harel decided to send his spymaster to join the Inquisition: Abelas.A risky game to gather informations about the deeds of a woman he is still in love with. He just didn't plan that his agent will fall for the Inquisitor.
Relationships: Abelas & Female Inquisitor (Dragon Age), Abelas/Female Inquisitor, Abelas/Female Lavellan (Dragon Age), Abelas/Inquisitor (Dragon Age), Abelas/Lavellan (Dragon Age), Female Lavellan/Solas, Fen'Harel | Solas/Female Lavellan, Lavellan & Solas
Comments: 20
Kudos: 47





	1. Skyhold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a french author who ventures to write in a foreign language and I'm far from being bilingual so don't hesitate to tell me if some passages are wrong.  
> (^o^)~ ♥
> 
> \---
> 
> revised on 09/29/2020

"There's no way I'm going to live with those Shem! "Abelas shouted as Fen'Harel looked at him calmly, arms folded behind his back and his chin raised.

"That's an order, Abelas. Have you already forgotten your duty?"

The sentinel gritted his teeth, thinking of an argument to make his master change his plans.

"They won’t trust me." He tried.

"Not if you do what I just told you. I know the Inquisitor, she won’t stand to leave you there.”

Oh, for knowing the Inquisitor, Fen’Harel did knew her. Abelas distinctly remembered seeing the Dread Wolf holding this worthless shemlen's hand tenderly when they first met in the temple.

At the thought that he might have been intimate with such an impure being, he couldn't help but frown.

"Even so. Helping a wounded soldier is one thing, giving him access to highly protected information is another. And unlike you, I don't intend to share my bed with a shem'.”

A sudden change in the air made him realize he may had gone too far.

"Please forgive my language." He said at once.

Fen'Harel's voice had become firm when he answered coldly.

"You will do as I command and stay there until I tell you otherwise. Is that clear?”

"Yes, master." replied Abelas before retiring, not daring to look up at Fen'Harel.

His anger got the better of him and he had realized too late the risks he had just taken. Felassan's recent death should have been a clear enough message, however: _you don't defy Fen'Harel._

As he arrived in the decaying room that served as his bedroom, he gathered his few belongings and his bedroll into one backpack. He knew he had to leave instantly.

He found Fen'Harel contemplating the landscape that stretched before his eyes, as he did usualy.

He had taken over an ancient Elven ruin, once a fortress designed to house entire armies, now barely preserved enough to accommodate the Dread Wolf and a handful of his agents.

Abelas cleared his throat politely and waited for his master to turn around before speaking, his eyes on the ground.

"I'm ready.”

"Perfect. Let's not delay any longer.”

***

Ellana looked at the map laid out on the war table alongside Josephine, Cullen and Cassandra. The report on Orlaïs last mission had come back a few hours earlier and she didn't know what to do.

"Our troops could easily retrieve our agent, Inquisitor." Suggested Cullen.

"I also have some friends who know this family. " Interjected Josephine. " They owe me a few favors and I can ask them to evacuate her discreetly.”

The Inquisitor ran a hand through her hair and surprised herself by remembering how short they were now.

In a fit of anger after learning the truth about Solas, she had grabbed a dagger and cut off her long mane that once reached down to her hips. Her former lover loved her long hair so much, he often enjoyed slipping his fingers into her blonde locks, bringing them to his lips affectionately when no one was looking. Now they barely reached the top of her shoulders.

"Inquisitor?" Asked Cassandra

Turning her attention back to the report, she bit her lower lip. What she really wanted was to hear the sweet voice of Leliana suggesting sending an agent to assassinate the nobleman and solve the problem. Alas, how she missed her. But she was divine now, she must have had other problems to deal with.

With a sigh, she finally decided.

"Go for Josephine's proposal.”

"Right away." Replied the ambassador. Quickly writting a few lines on her scroll.

"Are we done?" Asked Ellana, wanting to end this meeting as soon as possible.

"Not quite, Inquisitor." Answered Cullen. "Another report has come in from the Arbor lands. Sol...er... I mean Fen'Harel has reportedly been spotted near Mythal's old temple. Our scouts have informed us there may have been fighting.”

So, _he_ was on the move again. Having suddenly regained her full concentration, she contemplated the map and studied the troops currently deployed.

"We must get there as soon as we can. Solas probably knows something we missed on our first run. Besides, the sentinels may need our help.”

Cassandra let out a rude noise expressing the extent of her contempt at the mention of the sentinels and Ellana gave her a shocked look.

"Forgive me, Inquisitor, but those elves looked like they were doing just fine without our help the last time we saw them.”

"That's no reason to abandon them to their fate if things ever change, Cassandra." Ellana answered, annoyed.

It was true that the welcoming of the inquisition had been most... cold when they arrived at the temple.

Though she was an elf, though she wore Mythal’s vallaslin on her cheeks, and though she has strictly observed the temple's rites. She had been confronted with nothing but the contempt of the chief sentinel.

Yet she could not help but worry that something bad might have happened to the last living representatives of Elvenhan, apart from Fen’Harel.

"Commander."

Cullen straightened up, awaiting orders.

"We leave for the Arbor Forest at dawn.”

"As you command."

She then adjourned the meeting and left her advisors.

***

"Do you think this is a bad idea? "Asked Ellana to the crystal on her bedside table.

Dorian's voice answered her as if he were next to her.

"How could that be? There's nothing like being insulted by a thousand-year-old elf to cheer you up!”

"Dorian..."

"Well, all right. May I mention that you never appreciate my sense of humor?”

"Dorian! Please.”

"Always so impatient, Inquisitor. All right, since you can't stand to wait, I'll just say this : go save him. You don't need my approval to rush and rescue our dear, beautiful Abelas.”

She laughed, recalling the masgister's commentary on the sentinels after they have left the temple in a rush.

"At least you'll be able to enjoy the view when he will send you home in contempt." he added, laughing as well.

"I will, just for you. And I'll give you a detailed account of it if it may lighten your mood. " She said, amused as she remembered Dorian's interest in the sentinel.

"Creator is my witness, if I have to go to one more dance this week, I'm going to end up killing someone." sighed Dorian, changing the subject.

"Didn't you say that a ball at Tevinter was considered boring if there wasn't at least one murder?”

"Always reminding the smallest details I told you." he replied.

She could hear the smile in his voice.

"Come on, Dorian, you know I drink every word you say.”

There was a blank and she heard him laugh. A smile spead on Ellana's lips as she pictured his friend, she missed him too. Another noise came from further away and her friend's voice changed tone.

"I must leave, my lovely Inquisitor. Try not to get yourself killed until our next discussion.”

The conversation suddenly ended, and the crystal stopped glowing. Ellana got up from her bed and stood on the balcony to watch the view. The sun had long set and Skyhold was plunged into darkness. She looked in the distance, wondering if it was a good idea to go back to the temple or not.

Her thoughts drifted towards Solas and she felt her heart fill with anger. With her right hand, she grabbed what was left of her left arm and squeezed tightly to stop herself from screaming.

"You won't escape me... Venhan. " She said in a low voice, dreaming of how she would kill her former lover once she found him.

***

Abelas opened his eyes in a room he didn't know. Probing around, he realized he was in Skyhold. So Fen'Harel was right after all.

He straightened up slowly and winced in pain. The Dread Wolf didn’t skimp on the means to provide him with an alibi, and the wounds he had inflicted him, though not lethal, were extremely painful.

As his eyes grew accustomed to the ambient darkness, he noticed a young woman sleeping at his bedside. It took him a few seconds to recognize the Inquisitor, and he was surprised that someone of her rank was in charge of looking after the wounded.

She seemed agitated in her sleep and he saw her frown. What could this Shem dreaming about that made her look so upset?

Not dwelling further on the matter, he looked around for possible guards. There was no one there.

The inquisition showed a staggering overconfidence in leaving a stranger alone with their precious Inquisitor, he thought. It would be easy to kill her right now...

Abelas took the liberty of detailing her a little more than in their first meeting. At that time, he had seen her only in a hurry, far too preoccupied with protecting the well of sorrows from the multitude of intruders who had penetrated the temple. Today she seemed different to him. And it wasn't just the absence of her vallaslin or her shorter hair the Vir'abelasan lived in her, he could feel it.

While he was still watching her, she finally seemed to wake up and laid her green eyes on him, still half asleep. Seeing him awake, she smiled, visibly relieved.

"How do you feel? " She asked in a soft voice.

"What happened?”

He saw her smile disappear when she spoke again.

"I'm sorry." She said, "We heard about an attack through our scouts and decided to go and check on the temple. By the time we arrived it was already too late... You are the only survivor we found.”

She seemed really distressed and that surprised him. He knew perfectly well what the situation was in the temple. Fen'Harel had used bodies of fallen officers to pass them off as sentinels, so he knew that his men were actually safe alongside the Dread Wolf.

He took a gloomy look for good measure.

"Thank you." he finally said. "For saving me.”

"I wish I could have done better." she replied, ashamed.

Then she yawned shamelessly as she stretched out, and he was almost offended by her nonchalance. She noticed his gaze and suddenly stopped, straightening up.

"I'm sorry." she said. He noticed that her cheeks were slightly pink. "I'll leave you rest peacefully.”

She got up hastily and attempted a semblance of curtsy before leaving him alone. He took a few seconds to assimilate what she had just done before letting out a slight laugh.

She had bowed to a sentinel. To a slave. This shemlen really knew nothing of his world.

***

"Inquisitor!”

In the courtyard, Ellana, in the middle of a discussion with Sera, suddenly turned her head when she heard Josephine. She was standing at the top of the fortress stairs, with her hands on her hips.

"You were supposed to meet us almost an hour ago, and Cullen refuses to start without you.”

"Oops." Said the Inquisitor, winking at Sera, who giggled. "I didn't see the time go by. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up with you in a minute.”

"You will not fool me." Josephine replied sternly. "I know you'll slip away as soon as I turn my back.”

Sighing, defeated, the Inquisitor began to climb the steps to reach her ambassador.

"All right, you won. Let's go.”

Abelas, who was watching the scene from the ramparts, saw the elf disappear into the fortress alongside the ambassador. He wondered how the inquisition could have gone so far with such a... reckless inquisitor.

Since he had been "saved" by the inquisition two weeks ago, he had been free to come and go and had not needed to ask to officially join this organization. The Inquisitor had almost begged him to stay.

He then had spent the next few days exploring every nook and cranny of Skyhold, finding out who had power and who did not.

He had quickly learned to beware of the spirit who called himself Cole. For the rest, he kept a respectable distance from the other members of the Inquisition. In any case, they were all doomed to die once Fen'Harel had achieved his ends, no reason to form connections with them.

Ellana, on the other hand, systematically and unpredictably captured his attention. He couldn't explain why, but he couldn't help but marvel at the innocence of this Dalish elf.

Even if she had gone through difficult trials, she had even drunk from the well of sorrows, whenever he saw her in the fortress she was always full of life, jovial and enjoyed playing tricks on those around her.

Surprisingly, no member of the Inquisition, however prestigious, seemed inclined to reprimand her. Everyone was passing on absolutely everything to her, as if she were a spoiled child, and Abelas wondered why.

One night, as he had planned to sneak into the commandant's office to read the latest reports, he had left his room and sneaked into the tower through the first floor. As he quietly made his way down the stairs to the ground floor, he heard a muffled sound coming from below and froze.

With hushed footsteps, he had approached the central balcony and glanced below.

The Inquisitor was there, sitting on a stool in the center of the room. At first, he thought she was looking at the murals while laughing, but then he realized that she was, in fact, crying.

He wondered if he could turn back without being noticed before changing his mind, curious by the Inquisitor's unusual mood.

She had laid prostrate for hours, so long that the sun began to dawn through the windows. She seemed to realize it, and rose abruptly, almost startling Abelas, who had remained as still as possible all along. Leaving the rotunda, she returned to the great hall, and he was finally able to stand up.

He had waited a few minutes before going downstairs into the main hall.

Except for a few maidservants, there was no one there at that hour, and he concluded that she must have returned to her quarters.

Later that day, he saw her again, beaming with joy as she listened the tales of the qunari called Iron Bull.

 _Strange_ , he had thought.

From then on, he became more attentive to the Inquisitor's behavior and soon noticed a recurrence in her mood swings.

The days when she seemed most cheerful always corresponded to the nights when she would sneak into the rotunda to cry. One evening, while he was still observing her from the balcony, which was becoming a bad habit, he heard her pronounce Fen'Harel’s name between two sobs, and he suddenly understood the reason for her crying.

Feeling uncomfortable about staying longer, he discreetly returned to the small room he had been assigned. When the door closed, he sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed. His heart pounded as if he had been caught spying on her.

How stupid he had been. The answer to her strange demeanor was yet obvious. Even so, The Inquisitor's relationship with Fen'Harel must have been more than he had thought for her to get into such a state so regularly.

Fen’Harel had left her almost six years ago.

Refusing to dwell on these thoughts any longer, he stopped spying on the Inquisitor after that night and decided not to dwell on this more further.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this fic to relax when I run out of inspiration for my main story. It occurred to me that I could share it with you too :)  
> I don't think it will be a very long story but we'll see =)  
> As always, your comments are welcome and I hope you will enjoy this.


	2. Emerald Graves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revised on 09/29/2020

Since his arrival at Skyhold, weeks ago, Abelas still had not heard from Fen'Harel. He was starting to grow impatient in the fortress. He had, of course, amassed a great deal of informations about the inquisition, but all the important ones were only passing through four people: Commander Rutherford, Seeker Pentaghast, Ambassador Montilyet... and Ellana Lavellan.

The purging of Fen'Harel's agents had had consequences on the organization here and the Inquisition now seemed to be very careful about any information concerning in any way the activities of the Dread Wolf.

Abelas had tried to break into Cullen's office but no written document had given him vital information. While observing the room carefully, he noticed the presence of burnt parchment remains in the fireplace. The Commander knew how to protect his informations.

Despite his magic, he had been unable to get anything out of the burned remains he had recovered from the chimney and had therefore abandoned the idea of finding anything of interest to the commander. The seeker did not like him and did not hesitate to show it to him, there was no chance of getting anything from her.

He had tried to approach the ambassador, who had welcomed him politely, but he had quickly realized that she was acting with him out of pure respect for decorum. She seemed uncomfortable in his presence and was far too clever to let crucial information slip out through mundane discussions. If he wasn't careful, he might even attract some suspicion, which he didn't want.

Only the Inquisitor remained.

She was the only one who was more than just polite to him. She often came to find him in the inner garden, where he liked to spend his days, reading or simply enjoying the sun. She would check up on him, inquire about his health and ask him if he needed anything.

He didn't understand why she was so considerate, nobody had behaved like that with him in the past and he had to admit that the experience wasn't totally unpleasant.

Since the evening when he had decided to stop spying on her, he had tried to avoid being in her presence. Yet every time she spoke his name with a playful tone, or he saw her smiling as their eyes crossed, a strange feeling tightened his throat.

He didn't know how to describe it.

"Abelas?"

He turned around, surprised by the Inquisitor's voice. He hadn't felt her approach, too absorbed in his thoughts.

"Inquisitor.” he greeted politely.

Their eyes met and she smiled at him. He felt his pulse quicken slightly.

"It's been a while since you arrived at Skyhold and I was wondering..."

She looked away, visibly embarrassed by something. He couldn't understand why she was beating about the bush and invited her to continue.

"Yes?”

She looked back to him and his breath got caught in his throat.

"I'll need your help in the Emerald Graves. We've discovered some... texts referring to a lost Elven temple and I thought maybe..." She paused and looked down. "Perhaps you would agree to accompany me in case there are texts to be translated or specific rituals to be respected.”

It was a perfect opportunity for him to gain her trust and this temple could prove to be interesting. If they made a useful discovery, all he would have to do would be to omit certain points and communicate them to his master.

"Of course, Inquisitor." he replied in a neutral tone.

She looked up at him, visibly relieved.

"Thank you so much, Abelas. We'll leave the day after tomorrow.”

Satisfied at the idea of finally having a solid lead and useful information to communicate, he felt in a better mood, enough to go for a drink at the tavern despite the presence of Cole.

Upon arriving at the counter, he was greeted by the qunari and his mercenaries, to whom he responded with a simple nod while Sera looked at him with an air of undisguised contempt.

He really couldn't stand that elf. She represented everything he hated about the descendants of his people. He ignored her as best he could and ordered a pint of lager.

As he was heading upstairs to find a quiet corner, Bull stopped him.

"Hey, sentinel. Why don't you come and have a drink with the Charge? It might be time to get to know each other, especially if you plan to join our expeditions outside the fortress.”

He hesitated before letting out a discreet sigh. For any answer, he sat down near the qunari, his hood still over his head. Sera left the table almost immediately, to his great relief. He wasn't in the mood for an altercation.

"So, we're going on an adventure together, I heard ?" asked Bull as he lifted his drink in his direction.

Agreeing to toast with him, he then brought his beer to his lips, savoring the freshness of the beverage.

"It would appear so.”

The qunari looked around him before leaning over to talk to him in a confident tone.

"In that case, there are a couple of things you should know.”

Curious, Abelas looked at Bull.

"There are rules to follow when you leave Skyhold with the boss." He said very seriously. "First of all, NEVER mention the name of Solas in any conversation. If you must speak of him, you must say Fen'harel. It's always best to avoid the subject altogether.”

Surprised by such a rule, Abelas could not help asking.

"Why does she forbid us to speak that name?"

Bull corrected him immediately.

"What? No! She's not the one who forbids it. She'd kill me if she found out we've set up this kind of process..." He took another sip before continuing. "No, it's to avoid the disastrous consequences this could cause." Seeing that Abelas didn't seem to understand, he sighed before starting again.

"Our boss kind of... had a relationship with Solas. They were more than close, inseparable even." Abelas found it hard to imagine the Evanuri continually glued to the Inquisitor, but he didn't object. "Their separation was brutal. Quite unexpected, and the Inquisitor never really got over it. Especially when we later learned who Solas really was.”

"I see." answered Abelas, not knowing how to react to this information.

"She's been through a tough time." This time it was Iron Bull who seemed uncomfortable. "Let's say... Ah, it's not my place to talk about that. Let's just say no one wants to see her relapse as she starts to get better.”

Thinking unwillingly of the nights he had spent watching the crying elf in the rotunda, he felt that there were better ways to get better. But again, he made no comment.

"All right. I get it. No reference to the Dread Wolf. That shouldn't be too difficult." he said before taking another sip of beer. " What else?”

"Whatever she asks, you say yes and you do it.”

Abelas suddenly raised his head towards the imposing qunari in front of him, sliding his hood slightly.

"what?”

"You heard right, sentinel. Even if it seems stupid or illogical to you at the time. You don't deny the boss anything.”

Skeptical, he contemplated his half-empty mug.

"Why?" He ended up asking.

"Because she's the boss. And she has an incredible talent to get us out of situations that we would think desperate.”

After a moment of silence, he finally replied with a sigh.

"I can't promise I'll make it, but I'll try.”

Bull smiled and finished his mug noisily.

"Better than nothing! " he said. "Ah, one more thing..."

Abelas stared at him silently, waiting for him to speak.

"Don't let Cole get in your head, you'll have nightmares about him for weeks.”

He couldn't repress a smile.

"That, I can believe." He said as he stood up. "I'm going to get some rest. We'll see each other when we leave." He said politely, bowing briefly before turning his heels.

He decided to enjoy the crisp air that swept over the ramparts before returning to his quarters and stayed to observe the landscape for a long time before his attention was again diverted by the arrival of the Inquisitor in the courtyard. She was holding a creature by the bridle that made him shudder.

"By the creators..." he whispered as he saw the skeleton horse rearing up. A long sword went through the animal's head, keeping it firmly anchored in its trough and the blade sticking out through its muzzle. A red glow burned in his eyes.

What was that nightmarish creature and why didn't the Inquisitor seem at all worried by its side?

The few soldiers who were present in the courtyard shouted out cries of surprise or fear, some even drew their swords.

Unsurprisingly, the tumult caught the attention of the commander, who came out of his tower to observe what was going on below.

Seeing Ellana at the creature's side, Cullen instinctively put his hand on the pommel of his sword but didn't make another move.

Watching him from the ramparts, Abelas noticed the commander's frowning eyebrows as he stared at the Inquisitor, not out of disapproval, but out of fear for her.

Something in the commander's eyes irritated him without him being able to explain it.

"Andraste’s panties! " Swore Dennet as he joined Ellana in the courtyard, diverting Abelas' attention. "What is this demon?"

The woman put her hand on the neck of the creature, which seemed to calm down.

"It's not a demon, it's a horse. " Answered Ellana calmly as Abelas allowed himself to doubt this assertion. "He's been bewitched by a marauder in the marshes, the marauder is dead, and he has nowhere to go.”

She gently handed the reins to Dennet who hesitated for a moment before breathing a resigned sigh.

"Very well, Your Grace." he said before he headed for the stables with the reluctant beast.

Cullen had joined the Inquisitor in the meantime, and Abelas watched them for a moment. He noticed the way he stood close to her without ever touching her, he also noticed his look and his reactions when he stood next to Ellana and she didn't look at him, and he smiled slightly. The commander had feelings for the Inquisitor. A trivial piece of information, but one that would have a way of annoying Fen'Harel.

Abelas turned away from the scene to return to his quarters, arrived at his room, he saw Cole, sitting on the railing and watching the garden. Instinctively, he slowed down, suspicious.

Cole didn't look at him when he started talking.

"Angry. Too much has changed. I don't like this world or what it's become. If only I could change it, restore it. Then my people will no longer suffer, we will be whole again, powerful.”

"That's enough. " Abelas cut him off, hoping that the spirit would stop and relieved that there were no witnesses.

"But you need help. " Protested Cole turning to him, forsaking the view of the garden. "I hear your grief, it's there, but you won't let me help.”

"It is my will. " said the sentinel, looking sternly as if he were reprimanding a child.

"Yes." Cole simply replied. "Solas didn't want me to help him either." he lamented before he disappeared.

Relieved, Abelas went back to his room and fell on his bed, pensive.

His interview with Iron Bull had left him perplexed, but after a moment's hesitation he decided it was nothing important. He grabbed the last volume he was reading, an etude on High Dragons’ preferences, and immersed himself in reading it.

***

"Can we set up camp?" Bull suggested as they arrived in a relatively well-situated clearing in the heart of the Emerald Graves.

Ellana looked around and nodded her head. They were surrounded by elven remains, a huge wolf statue overlooked the clearing, and she made an effort not to dwell on the idea of sleeping under Fen'Harel's gaze.

"That would be perfect." she replied, dropping her backpack heavily to the ground.

The terrain of the emerald graves was too rocky, too hilly to be walked on horseback. Instead, they had to abandon their mounts not far from Fairbanks' retreat and continue on foot.

"There's a water source not far away, Your Worship." Announced a girl scout who had just returned from a quick exploration of the area.

"Thank you." Ellana replied, taking a scrap of parchment out of her pocket. She had quickly scribbled a map on which she had circled the area where the temple should be. They weren't far away.

"Apparently it would be easier to find the temple at night, so we'll split into groups of two after dark and sweep the area for clues." The inquisition soldiers and his companions nodded.

"Bull, you'll go with Cole. Abelas, you're with me. You all rest until nightfall, then we'll get to work. »

She then set about erecting the tents and the rest of the camp in general. When everything was finally set up, the sky had taken on an orange hue and a large fire was crackling in the center of the camp.

Ellana looked down at the prosthesis that Dagna had made for her. A beautiful piece of craftsmanship enchanted to move according to her will. With this artifact, it was as if she still had two arms. She almost did. Squeezing her artificial fist, she decided to skip the meal and go lie down a few minutes before the departure.

As she entered the large tent, she found Cole sitting cross-legged on his bedroll. He was holding a small white flower between his fingers, fascinated by what he saw.

He raised his head to her as she entered and gave her an innocent smile. She sadly smiled back at him before lying down without saying anything.

The Vir'abelasan began to whisper words she didn't understand. It was becoming more and more common these days, but there was nothing she could do about it. Frowning, she tried to clear her mind, but to no avail.

Annoyed, she left the tent and slammed into the sentinel who was about to enter, tipping him backwards in the grass. It took her a few seconds to realize the position she was in. She laid all the way down on Abelas, her legs tangled and her face so close to the sentinel's face that she could feel his breath on her lips.

He was totally motionless, his golden eyes fixed on her. Ellana suddenly felt herself blushing and she hoped very much that he hadn't noticed.

Bull's amused whistle diverted her attention, only to make her feel even more uncomfortable.

"I didn't know you liked to do that in public, boss.”

She suddenly moved away from Abelas and stood up before reaching out a hand to help him as well.

"Forgive me. I should have been careful." She said without daring to look him in the eyes.

The sentinel didn't bother to grab her hand and got up by himself. Given the intense heat she felt, she must have been red to the tip of her ears, fortunately, the growing darkness and the campfire must have camouflaged her condition.

"It's nothing." Abelas replied simply. "I was going to come looking for you to begin the exploration." he added.

Following the orders of the Inquisitor, they separated into two groups and dispersed. After three hours of wandering around the forest in the moonlight, she breathed a weary sigh before stopping and sitting on a rock for a short break. The voices were getting louder and louder and she was starting to get a headache. She put her fingers on her temples and frowned, she didn't notice that Abelas had joined her.

"Something’s wrong?" He asked as he laid eyes on her.

Every time Abelas looked at her, she had the impression that he frowned slightly, as if he was constantly disgusted by the mere sight of her. Since he had agreed to stay, she had tried to change this by inquiring about his condition and health, but despite her efforts to be polite, he could never stop that slight frown when he looked at her. She smiled, reassuring.

"Just the Vir'abelasan that keeps talking in my head. It's just louder than usual.”

To her surprise, Abelas knelt in front of her and placed his hands on her cheeks, cupping her face delicately, his fingertips at her temples.

"I think I can help with that." He said in a whisper. She felt his magic when he casted a soothing spell on her, and she couldn't hold back a sigh of relief when the voices finally went silent. The spell was over, but Abelas' hands were still on her cheeks.

Having closed her eyes in the process, she opened them again and noticed that Abelas was staring at her.

"Ma serannas" she said in a breath.

He seemed to notice that his hands were still on her and pulled them away sharply as he got up.

"It will be some time before you can really control the potential of the vir'abelassan.” He said, harshly.

She smiled at him, rising to her feet.

"I am eager to learn, ha'hren."

He didn't answer and she saw him turn his back on her. For a second, she wondered if maybe she had offended him, but did not dare to ask.

They resumed their search in silence and despite their efforts they found nothing. As she began to lose hope, she spotted a silvery sheen at the top of a pile of rocks. Without further ado, she began to climb and almost fell several times before reaching the top. She then noticed a rune shining under the moon's rays.

As Abelas joined her, finishing the ascent with visibly less difficulty than she had, she approached the rune. Too late she heard his voice as he tried to stop her by grabbing her wrist.

"No!"

Her fingers met the rune and the ground slipped away from under their feet.

Everything went black for a few seconds and then, when she could see where she was again, she noticed that she was suspended in the air. Abelas was with her and his gaze was riveted under their feet.

"Hold your breath, Inquisitor. The levitation spell will end in a few seconds."

She looked down and saw that they were above a huge pool of underground water. The place was lit by a multitude of bioluminescent fungi. Remains of elven constructions were present, including a collapsed bridge that should have been under their feet. 

The spell broke and they fall. She took a deep breath as she collided with the icy water before surfacing quickly. Her left arm didn't seem to respond anymore, and she reached the edge of the pool before she noticed Abelas was missing.

Suddenly remembering that he was wearing full plate armor, she looked towards their drop point, anxious.

Not seeing him come back up, she decided to dive. After almost a minute of probing in the dark, her right hand finally found what she was looking for.

The sentinel was struggling to remove his plastron and she did her best to remove the straps that held his shoulder pads and tied his plastron to his back. Once he was free of the heavier pieces, he tried to climb back up and she did the same, leaning on the bottom to give herself a push.

Her lungs were beginning to burn when she pierced the surface again, breathing in a big puff of air. She helped Abelas to the edge and they pulled themselves up to land, out of breath.

She saw the sentinel get rid of what was left of his armor, then of his tunic, leaving him bare to the waist before her astonished eyes. It was the first time she had the opportunity to really see him.

 _God, he had hairs longer than I used to have_. She thought.

She did not have time to linger any longer on the sight, for he plunged back into the pool almost immediately. Less than a minute later, he put his shoulder pads on the edge and went back for his plastron. By the time he came out of the water again, he had retrieved all his armor. Ellana looked at him for a moment, impressed.

"Thank you." He said after a short hesitation. "For helping me.”

"It's nothing." She replied with a slight smile.

"We mustn't stay here." he added without looking at her. "No magic works here apart from the rune and the eluvian.”

_Eluvian? What Eluvian?_

She followed his gaze and saw indeed an Eluvian at the bottom of the cave. While she was still sitting on the floor catching her breath, he had already crossed the distance to the mirror and bent down to grab an object on the floor not far.

He drew a glyph and the Eluvian activated.

"This way." He said, waving her to get up.

Somehow, she got back on her feet and joined him in front of the passage.

"You know this place." She said as she looked at him, more of a statement than a question.

"Yes." Answered Abelas simply before crossing the passage.

She followed him to a hall that would have made Empress Celene's Winter Palace look like a simple country residence if it hadn't been so decaying.

"It's not a temple you were looking for." Abelas said to her as he showed her the place. "But a palace.”


	3. Haurash'evune

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> revised on 09/30/2020

Abelas retrieved his tunic that was drying in the sun and put it on, looking over his shoulder. The Inquisitor was still asleep under a tree nearby.

The last few hours had been difficult for the sentinel and he didn't understand what was happening to him.

When Ellana had fell on him back at the inquisition's camp, he had felt his heart leap in his chest and was surprised to remain so stoic while she was untangling her by herself. He had been troubled enough to feel compelled to avoid any eye contact for a while.

Then she mentioned the Vir'abelasan and he renounced to avoid her any longer. She didn't deserve to suffer for trying to preserve Mythal's lost knowledge. According to his duty as sentinel, he had laid his hands on her and calmed the voices with a simple spell.

If she had been a mage, she could have solved the problem on her own, but she had no magic. He had watched her as she relaxed under his own magic and noticed her alabaster skin and golden hair. Her nose was slightly tucked up and her delicately pinkish lips drew his gaze irremediably.

He only took his eyes off her lips when he heard her thank him in elven. Suddenly aware of his boldness, he had quickly withdrawn his hands, taking a harsh tone to remind her that she had to control the vir'abelassan.

She had not been offended. She even called him ha'hren and he had to turn his back on her to hide his sudden embarrassment.

The next events then happened in a rush. She had started to climb a rocky promontory and when he had looked up, he immediately felt what magic was at work. He tried to stop her but didn't succeed to keep her from touching the transport rune.

Many times, he had used those runes, magically bonding two places together.

They were active forever as long as the rune remains intact, this means of transport required almost no magic and had no locks, making the passage accessible to all. But since the creation of the veil, it had become dangerous to use them as it was impossible to know what the other side was looking like.

That was precisely what happened to them. The bridge they should have arrived on was now a pile of rubble, throwing them into the basin below, but more importantly depriving them of access to the rune back across the bridge.

If he hadn't been deprived of his magic, he would have had no trouble getting to the surface despite his armor, but he had been caught off guard and was beginning to panic when Ellana had came for him. 

She had helped him to remove his armor and he immediately swam to the surface to relieve his burning lungs.

Once safe, he plunged back to collect the missing pieces. His armor was far too precious to him to be left at the bottom of a forgotten pool.

He had noticed the way she had looked at him when he undressed himself but it was not important at the moment.

To his relief, the eluvian was still working. They potentially had a way out, the palace had many access routes.

Abelas had not expected to stumble upon the rune that led to the palace of Elgar'nan and Mythal. First because the landscape had changed so much that he had not realized where it was, but above all because he had forgotten the existence of this place.

As he had crossed the Eluvian, he could see that the palace was falling into disrepair, shattered from part to part, fragments floating in the air at unlikely angles. He had seen this before, once wonderful places completely ravaged by the veil.

Ellana had followed him through the mirror and was looking around, amazed. Abelas couldn't help smiling as he saw her marveling at this decaying place. If only she could have seen his world when elves ruled on everything...

He had watched her run towards a statue of Mythal still adorned in gold and sumptuous drapery and surprised himself to regret that she was not an ancient elf.

She would have fit among his people. She was unlike the Dalish elves he had met, so different, yet not so much. She wasn't a city elf either. Despite his preconceived beliefs, Abelas was beginning to understand why Fen'Harel had shown interest in her.

Coming out of his thoughts, he put his armor again, which he had taken care to dry and polish after its forced bath earlier, and went to the Inquisitor to wake her up.

They had fallen asleep a few hours after their arrival at the palace, not leaving the Eluvian in case her companions managed to find the rune. In the early morning, Abelas had woken up and inspected the place, letting her rest. Unfortunately, he did not find any other functioning Eluvian nearby.

But the palace was vast, and he hadn't gone very far.

Arriving near the inquisitor, he knelt beside her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Inquisitor?" 

She frowned but did not wake up. He repeated his gesture and she grunted before turning around. He smiled slightly at her refusal and thought about letting her sleep a little more before changing his mind.

Obeying a sudden impulse, he leaned a little more towards her and whispered in her ear in a soft voice.

"Ellana.”

Pronouncing her name out loud, even in a whisper, was strangely arousing and left him breathless. 

She opened her eyes and noticed his closeness. In a second, he straightened up sharply, doing his best to stay impassive.

"Abelas!" She was troubled, her cheeks red. "What's the matter with you, doing such a thing?”

"You didn't wake up." He got up. "We have to find a way out of here quickly." he added more seriously.

The Inquisitor looked up at the sunny sky and nodded.

"They must be worried.”

Seeing how the whole inquisition behaved with her, it was a safe bet. He watched her looking at the parts of the palace that were turned upside down.

"I've seen something like this before." She said without taking her eyes off the landscape. "In the great library.”

Abelas remembered the huge library from Elvenhan and nodded.

"What does Haurash'evune mean?" she asked then.

He looked at her, surprised.

"Where did you hear that name?"

"The voices have been telling me this over and over since we got here.”

He hesitated for a few seconds before answering.

"That's the name of this palace. It means The Golden Moon, in devotion to Elgar'nan and Mythal. We're in their palace.”

She took a different look at the surroundings, amazed.

"This is where they lived? " she asked then. "Did you live there? How many people were there? Why did we go underground before we got there?”

"So many questions." he sighed, she was like a child. "No, they didn't live here, and neither did I. " he added. "It was a place of celebration, for special occasions.”

"It's beautiful. " She whispered, looking at the gilding and frescoes that had survived the passage of time. Despite the collapsed ceilings and the natural surroundings, the palace was as beautiful as ever. Her gaze fell on him and he was surprised to read something close to affection in her eyes.

"This is the first time I really see you, Ableas."

Not understanding right away, he realized that he wasn't wearing his hood and moved to put it back on, but she interrupted him.

"don't!"

He paused, she seemed embarrassed.

"Don't put it back on. Please.”

He hesitated before deciding that it could do little harm to obey her request. Leaving the hood where it was, he turned his attention to the most urgent problem.

"We must find an eluvian that still works, or we are doomed to wander around here until we starve to death.”

She gave him a worried look.

"We will find a solution." She simply replied.

***

The rest of the day was spent exploring the palace. Many of the Eluvians were still functioning, but only led to other parts of the palace and Ellana felt as if she was reliving her exploration of the library years earlier.

When there wasn't enough light to go on, she decided to set up some sort of camp in the middle of what looked like a small living room.

Abelas had been silent all day and when she proposed to stop there for the day, he just nodded silently before lighting a veiled fire with a simple gesture. She looked at the flames for a moment before looking away. She was hungry, thirsty and regretted not having taken her backpack containing her rations. She squeezed the collar of her cloak with her right hand, loosened the two long daggers hanging from her back, then cowered in a corner of the room hoping to fall asleep quickly. Abelas took off his armor and carefully laid the pieces on the floor, along with an impressive number of blades of various sizes, and then settled down not far from her.

The cold made her shiver and she tried her best to control herself when she felt the sentinel's arms go around her gently but firmly. She found herself against him, her back resting on his chest and his chin resting on her head.

"What..." She started before he cut her off.

"You're cold. I don't want to be killed by your companions if they find you sick.”

Abelas' explanation was so surprising that she couldn't help but laugh.

"Just close your eyes and sleep." He murmured.

His tone was severe, but she felt him squeeze her a little harder against him. Deciding to allow herself a moment of weakness with the sentinel, she closed her eyes, rocked by the slow and regular beating of his heart.

***

When Abelas arrived in the fade, his first reflex was to look for the Inquisitor. Not seeing her in his arms, he got up and saw that the palace was once again intact. The familiar hubbub of the evenings in the palace distracted his attention and he relaxed, realizing that he was simply dreaming.

He enjoyed seeing the fade remodeling his memories to bring him back to his past. As he looked down on his outfit, he saw that he was no longer dressed as a sentinel, but in the finery of nobility. He smiled, a small twist on the reality of his memories did not hurt.

He went down to the ballroom and found the Evanuri and nobility dancing gracefully to the sound of enchanting music. Deciding to enjoy his fantasy, he watched the noblewomen, looking for a date, when he saw her.

At first, he thought that his imagination was playing tricks on him but looking at her more closely he could not be mistaken. It was Ellana.

She wore a sumptuous dress of a green slightly darker than her eyes, a corset with gold embroidery imprisoned her graceful silhouette and an enchanted tiara floated above her head. What surprised him even more was the long mane that draped her back, strewn with finely intertwined braids and punctuated with discreet gold jewelry.

Wondering about the exact nature of his dream, he joined her to make sure it wasn't the real Inquisitor who had joined him in the fade. When she laid eyes on him, she gave him a charming smile before addressing him in ancient elven.

"What a pleasure to see you here, Abelas. I was hoping you'd come."

So, it wasn't her, he thought, not knowing whether he was relieved or disappointed. She reached out her hand and he took it gently, dragging her towards the dance floor.

Just as he had thought, Ellana was beautiful as an ancient elf, had he known her at that time, he would have been able to do many things to gain her favors. He allowed himself to put his hand in her back, drawing her against him boldly, a smile on the corner of his lips at the idea of perhaps granting himself more than a dance. She leaned against him and he felt his pulse racing, concentrating on the dance steps for good measure.

"I see you've reconsidered your opinion on the Inquisitor..."

Fen'Harel's voice behind his back froze his blood. He had done nothing wrong, yet he felt as if he had been caught in the act of committing a horrible misdeed. Feeling ashamed, he repressed his emotions as best he could while the false Inquisitor was still huddled in his arms. The Evanuri's gaze was riveted on her, and for a second Abelas could read the languor and desire he felt for her.

He was struck by the strength of Fen’Harel’s feelings although he was faced with a simple illusion created by the fade.

Once again, he realized that Fen'Harel's relationship with the inquisitor had been more than a passing fancy.

With a movement of his hand, Solas dispelled the dream, leaving them in the coldness of the fade. Abelas wore his soldier's tunic again and Ellana was gone.

"I came to you for a first report..." Fen'Harel began by detailing the sentinel. "I think perhaps I should have intervened sooner, for it seems you have much to tell me, Abelas.”

The tone was set, but the threat in the voice of the Dread Wolf was palpable: _Do not touch her_. He had to think quickly to find the right answer.

"It was only a dream." He said in a voice he hoped would be convincing. "It's just that I was talking to her before I fell asleep and she must have influenced the fade by creating this... dream."

Fen'Harel detailed him for a long time, with his hands folded behind his back. Finally, he seemed to opt for this version and changed the subject.

"Were you able to learn anything interesting?”

"Nothing of capital importance." Abelas regained his composure through his soldier's routine. "The Inquisition is hunting you relentlessly, but information doesn't filter out. Only the Inquisitor's personal advisors know what's going on. The rest of the organization is voluntarily kept in ignorance.”

"Go on."

"I was able to join the Inquisition quite easily, as you predicted. Ellana welcomed me with open arms, and I was free to wander around."

Fen'Harel ticked when he heard him call the Inquisitor by her first name, but he didn't interrupt.

"The armed forces are still large, but Commander Cullen disperses them over the territory so that no one can get an accurate count of the troops. He pays particular attention to protecting the Inquisitor, probably unconsciously given his feelings for her."

This time, the Dread Wolf could not hold back.

"what?"

Abelas looked up and saw that his remark had hit the nail on the head.

"The commander has romantic feelings for the Inquisitor. It can be a good pressure tactic in case things get out of hand.”

He had kept his speech at professional level voluntarily, curious to see the reaction of the dread wolf, and it did not take long.

Abelas saw the Evanuri's jaw shrink as anger and frustration took over his usual phlegm.

"All right. " he said coldly. "What else?”

"We set out in search of elven ruins in the emerald graves. The fact is the temple we thought we'd find was actually Haurash'evune..."

"I thought this palace was lost in the Eluvian labyrinth." Murmured Solas, pensive.

"That's what it looks like." Answered Abelas, seriously. "We've been stuck in the palace for two days. The return rune is no longer accessible, the bridge has collapsed.”

"Fenhedis." Swore Solas. "How many people are trapped in the palace? " He asked, slightly worried.

"Just the Inquisitor and myself." He replied.

The information did not seem to please him.

"Have you tested all the eluvians?"

"Not yet, we still have the east wing of the palace to explore. If there's no working Eluvian on this side, we'll have to improvise.”

Pensive, the dread wolf remained silent for many minutes. Abelas knew from experience that the course of his thoughts should not be interrupted in such moments.

"I'll be back tomorrow night for an update." he finally announced.

The sentinel nodded his head before waking up suddenly.

Ellana was still huddled in his arms and the night was still dark. The Inquisitor made a slight sound before turning around and burying her face in his neck. He inhaled sharply, trying not to think about the vision of her he had had in his dream and closed his eyes to force himself to sleep again.

***

At dawn, Ellana woke up in Abelas' arms. The sentinel was still sound asleep. Trying not to wake him, she moved slowly to get out of his embrace. Once up, a shiver ran through her. The air was still cold at this hour.

The veiled fire always burned not far from them, radiating only relative heat. She looked up at the sky through the hole in the ceiling and saw that the sun was not yet fully up. It had now been two nights since she had disappeared into the emerald graves, leaving her comrades without news. By this time, Bull must surely have informed Skyhold of her disappearance, and it was a good bet that Cassandra or Cullen were already on their way with a horde of soldiers to comb the area.

She sighed, annoyed at causing her friends so much trouble for so little. Deciding to get ahead of the rest of the exploration, she let Abelas sleep and ventured into a corridor that hadn’t been obstructed by the debris of the palace. After a few minutes of inspecting each room, she came out into a circular room where nine eluvians were arranged at the bottom of beautifully crafted alcoves. Each mirror was held by a statue representing a different Evanuri.

Only three of them were not broken, that of the goddess of the hahls, Gilan'Nain, that of Sylaise, goddess of medicine, and that of Fen'Harel.

She could easily guess the role of these Eluvian, they must have been private passages so that the Evanuri could get to the palace quickly.

Without much hope, she laid her hand on each eluvian, but they remained dull and inert. She hurried back to wake up the sentinel. Maybe he could do something.

She found the sentinel perfectly awake when she returned to the room, and he looked relieved when he saw her arrive.

"Where have you been? " he asked in a harsh tone.

"I had gone to explore the rest of the palace..." she began, but he cut her off.

"Alone and without your weapons?!" He looked angry and she didn't understand why. "What if you'd come across wild creatures, or worse, demons? How were you going to defend yourself?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he didn't let her.

"I don't understand how you can still be alive by being so reckless! You could have woken me up, if only to warn me. And the least you could have done was take your daggers with you!”

He finally fell silent, probably to take a breath before starting again, but she cut him off before he could speak.

"It's okay, I get it." She said with a contrite smile. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to worry you.”

"I wasn't worried." He replied, "I was just pointing out that you were reckless.”

She stared at him for a moment before laughing at his behavior. It seemed to annoy him even more. Wishing to defuse the situation, she changed the subject.

"I found some eluvians that could be our way out. I'm gonna need your help."

Abelas waited until she fixed her daggers behind her back before following her, effortlessly extinguishing the veiled fire.

When they came out into the great hall, Abelas remained silent, contemplating each Eluvian with an air that she found difficult to decipher. He then approached each mirror, starting with Sylaise’s, then Ghilan’nain’s. Neither of them reacted and Ellana began to lose hope of ever leaving this palace. She saw the sentinel hesitating to touch the eluvian guarded by Fen'Harel and interpreted this as apprehension. Surely, he must have lost hope as well and hesitated to test their last chance of salvation.

When Abelas' fingers met the mirror, the Eluvian lit up and the passage activated. Ellana felt her heart leap in her chest at the thought of finally getting out of there, but she was also afraid to find out where the mirror guarded by the Dread Wolf was leading.

Abelas crossed the eluvian and she followed him.

They ended up in an Elven ruin as she had seen dozens of them during her explorations throughout Thedas. A small underground room decorated with a few statues and torches on the walls. They climbed to the surface via relatively well-preserved stairs and she was relieved not to discover any grates to block their way.

"I would have thought that this would led us to the former home of Fen'Harel." Ellana whispered as she stepped outside, in the middle of a wood that looked a lot like the exalted plains.

"He didn't have one. " Abelas replied, looking around the place in turn. "He was always a very nomadic god, never living in one place for very long.”

The Inquisitor noted this information, which could be useful in her hunt.

"What else do you know about Fen'Harel? " She asked.

Abelas turned to her and studied her for a few seconds before answering.

"Not much more, unfortunately.”

"Too bad." She sighed.

They explored the woods and she finally recognized the exalted plains. Normally, they weren’t very far from the Dalish camp and if they reach them, she could finally contact the Inquisition from there.

After a few hours of walking, they finally arrived at the camp, only to find it abandoned. The aravels were gone and there was no trace of the nomadic elves. Disappointed, she let herself go against a rock with a sigh.

"Is everything okay? " Asked Abelas who was watching her, curious.

"Yes." She replied, tired. "I just expected to find some old friends here. They must have left now that the trenches have been filled."

Abelas looked up to the sky.

"The sun has already started to go down, so I suggest you rest for a little while and then we'll be on our way. We can still make some progress before nightfall.”

She followed his gaze and nodded her head. She drank from the river and found some berries to eat, which she shared with the sentinel who accepted them willingly. They landed in the shade of the cave that once housed the halla and closed their eyes for a few minutes before setting off again.

From here, Skyhold was over a week's march away and they were going to have to go through the Emprise du Lion. The Inquisition was still present at Fort Suledin, from there they could find mounts and shorten their journey by a few days.

As they roamed the plains in the blazing sun, Ellana noticed that the landscape had indeed changed since the war was over. A few humans had begun to rebuild the once abandoned villages and she was even able to stop to buy food and a bow and quiver full of arrows. Abelas had looked at her critically.

"It's easier to hunt with a bow than a dagger." She just replied.

He made no comment, but she was sure she saw him smile.

Recently she no longer saw him frown when he looked at her, although he didn't pay much attention to her either. Ellana found his behavior strange. He seemed cold, hard and distant, yet he had tender gestures and attentions towards her. Although he refused to acknowledge it, he had worried about her earlier in the morning. She thought about how she had been scolded by the sentinel and couldn't help smiling.

They stopped for the night in an old Inquisition camp north of the plains. She made a real fire that crackled joyfully in the large stone circle she had arranged. Abelas had been away for a little hour now, and Ellana took advantage of his absence to go around the place and find a proper shelter for the night. She found a storage box carefully hidden between two rocks and thanked Harding for the precautions she was taking "just in case," as she often liked to say.

She found a large, thick bearskin as well as several wolf pelts that were soft to the touch. Carefully taking them out of the chest, she placed them in a corner away from the wind. She then set about building a tent of some sort, assembling branches and straw found nearby. When Abelas returned, holding a hare in one hand, he discovered the campfire and the shelter where the animal pelts laid.

"How? "asked the sentinel, visibly impressed.

Proud of her, she gave him a big smile.

"Harding always leaves something to spend the night in case she or a member of the inquisition comes by again. " She then pointed to the makeshift tent. "I learned how to build these kinds of shelters early on when I was in my clan. I had years to perfect my creation, making it stronger and more waterproof over time. But for this one, I can't promise anything, I haven't had to do this in years."

"It's..." Abelas began, hesitantly. "Much better than I'd hoped.”

They ate peacefully by the fire and discussed everything and nothing for a little while before she yawned.

"Shall we go to sleep?" She suggested as she pointed to the shelter.

Without waiting for an answer, she knelt in front of the entrance, removing her daggers and placing them at the bottom of the shelter. There was just enough room for two on the bearskin, and when Abelas joined her, the atmosphere changed slightly. The forced proximity they were in was playing on Ellana's coolness as she did her best to ignore the man who was undressing a few inches away from her. She had used her cape as a pillow and Abelas did the same with his tunic, shirtless despite the cold.

He laid down beside her with his back to her and sighed comfortably, warm in their fur nest.

The Inquisitor watched Abelas’ back for a long time, only now noticing that his vallaslin was running all over his body, not just his face. In the darkness it was difficult to make out the pattern, and she placed a finger on a line running from his shoulder down his back, following the line with the tip of her fingernail, passing between his shoulder blades, along his spine down his lower back. She was stopped by Abelas' hand, which had grasped her wrist firmly.

"Could you stop this, please?”

His voice was deeper than usual, and she realized what she was doing. She picked up her hand and turned her back, red up to her ears.

"Forgive me. I don't know what came over me." She babbled, ashamed.

"That's all right. " replied Abelas.

"I didn't know your vallaslin went all over your body, I let curiosity get the better of my common sense. " She added, seeking to justify her actions. "I hadn't noticed, I mean, it wasn't my intention to..."

"It's nothing." The sentinel cut off. "Sleep now.”

She didn't dare to speak anymore and closed her eyes, admonishing herself for her stupidity.


	4. Suledin Keep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> revised on 10/03/2020

With his back still turned to the Inquisitor, Abelas tried to close his eyes to fall asleep, but his body did not seem to want to obey him.

Ellana's contact earlier, when she had let her nail slide down his vallaslin, had provoked a reaction that he now had to control.

The heat in his lower abdomen persisted and all his senses were alert. The slightest breath, the tiniest movement was tenfold. It had taken a lot of self-control to stop the Inquisitor's hand without revealing what effect it had had on him.

After the embarrassment of being caught in the act, she had fallen asleep relatively quickly, leaving him alone to deal with his condition.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to think of something else to calm himself, to suppress the arousal her touch provoked. It was nothing but curiosity, she had said so herself. This gesture was not an invitation, it was not an attempt to seduce him, he should not let himself think such things.

The absence intimacy during all those years made him too sensitive. He hadn't had a partner for thousands of years, refusing to have any relationship with Dalish elves, mere shadows of what his people had truly been in the past. He had resigned himself to this life, comforting himself in his duty as sentinel and now soldier. Yet this simple touch, a caress on his naked skin, had awakened a burning desire he had so successfully repressed, until now.

Ellana turned in her sleep, letting out a slight sigh and he felt his whole body tense. With his back resolutely turned to the Inquisitor, he did not dare to move for fear of waking her. He was also afraid to lay eyes on her, in his current state he might do something he would regret later.

While he was still struggling to regain his composure, Ellana turned again and he felt her arm slide gently around his waist as she huddled against his back.

The warmth of her body, the contact of her breasts pressing against his back through her clothes, and her hand slipped carelessly around his waist took away what little calm he had managed to regain.

It was too much. If he stayed like that, he will to do something he would definitively regret.

With the utmost discretion, he left their shelter and headed straight to the river that flowed not far from the camp. He got rid of his pants and dived completely into the water to purify his body and mind. The mere idea of going back to lie next to Ellana triggered a wave of desire that he had to repress.

This was a line he refused to cross.

As the cold water made him shiver, he remembered what he had dared to say to Fen'Harel when he learned that he would have to go spy on the Inquisition. " unlike you, I don't intend to share my bed with a shem." A mocking laugh escaped him. Next time he'd better shut up.

When he came out of the water, he felt a little better. His body finally seemed calmed down and he used a spell to dry and warm himself before putting his pants on again.

Deciding to get his act together, he convinced himself that his current desire had nothing to do with the Inquisitor. It was just his body's desire after too long a period of abstinence. It could have been with anyone, he would have reacted the same way.

Back in the tent, he noticed that the Inquisitor had taken advantage of his absence to occupy all the space, and he smiled slightly as he watched her sleep, her face barely lit by the flames that continued to crackle nearby. Forcing himself to look away, he lied down next to her, taking care not to touch her and finally, he fell asleep.

***

Nos sooner was he in the fade than Abelas felt the presence of his master nearby. He was relieved to appear here with his armor on. Once again, Ellana was not present and he was alone in the shelter. He came out and found Fen'Harel standing by the fire with his back turned to him.

He was standing at attention in front of the Evanuri who turned and looked at him.

Immediately he knew that this was no time to play with his master's nerves. He felt anger and frustration in the air around him and decided to keep his eyes fixed on the ground waiting for him to speak.

"I see you've managed to leave the palace." He said in a voice a little too quiet to be natural.

"Yes." Abelas simply replied. "Your personal Eluvian was still working.”

"Of course, since I reactivated it." Fen'harel turned his gaze for a split second to the shelter from which the sentinel had came out before returning to his spy. "Are you going back to Skyhold?"

"Yes." Abelas cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "We're going to go through the Emprise du Lion, via Suledin keep. From there, the Inquisitor plans to send a message to the commander to let him know she's okay and we'll take mounts to get back to the fortress faster.”

There was a moment of silence during which Fen'harel seemed to think.

"An agent will contact you at Suledin keep. Find a way to give him access to the fortress before you leave. I need that outpost.”

"Yes, master. "

He thought this meeting was over, but when he did not see him make a gesture to leave, he remained in expectation.

"How is she doing? " he finally asked, surprising Abelas.

He didn't know what to say to satisfy Fen'Harel. He dared to look at him and saw clearly in his eyes the pain of not being able to go and inquire himself about the Inquisitor's condition.

"Honestly? " he asked, hesitantly. In the face of Fen'Harel's silence, he added: "Not very well.”

It was not what he would have liked to hear, but it was the truth.

"I understand.”

Losing interest in the sentinel, he took one last look at the place where Ellana was sleeping before he vanished.

***

Ellana woke up in the morning to find that she had put one arm around the sentinel's waist and was huddled against his back. Taking care not to wake Abelas, who was still sleeping, she got up and fed the fire, of which only a few embers remained. The sun was not yet fully up and she wandered around looking for something to eat.

Once back at the camp, she sat by the fire to contemplate the flames.

She thought back to her behavior the day before and felt herself blushing. How could she have been so cavalier with Abelas. Since his arrival at Skyhold, she had watched him closely. At first, she was just concerned about his health, to see if he had recovered from his injuries, but she had continued to care for him long after he had recovered.

Ellana wasn't sure what kind of interest she had in him. Having slept in his arms two nights in a row had reminded her of the comfort of not sleeping alone, of having the warmth of someone else at her side. But he seemed so cold at times that it was confusing. She couldn't figure out if he liked her or not.

A movement caught her attention and she saw him emerge. His hair, slightly tangled, fell to his shoulders and partially covered his face. He laid his eyes on her briefly before looking away.

"Slept well?" She asked as a greeting.

He grunted in approval while putting on his tunic. Ellana's gaze could not help but settle on his back before it was covered again by his clothes. She was still staring at him when he turned around, and their eyes met for a moment before she looked away in embarrassment.

"I... found some berries if you're hungry.”

The sentinel seemed to hesitate before sitting down not far from her.

"I am." He said simply as she handed him a small canvas bag containing her morning's harvest.

He ate in silence and she did not know what to say to brighten up the atmosphere, which was very heavy.

"We should get back on the road before the weather gets any worse…" she said, looking up to the sky. "It might rain soon." At this time of the year, the rain was freezing and there was even a risk that it might start snowing if they had bad luck.

The Emprise du Lion was still a long way off on foot, they were going to have to start moving soon.

"I'm sorry." she suddenly heard herself say.

Abelas raised his head and gave her a curious look.

"About what?" he asked calmly.

"I shouldn't have touched you like that last night." She said sincerely. "I am aware of the vulgarity of my gesture and I ask your forgiveness.”

As her eyes were fixed on the ground, she did not see him blush slightly, nor did she know how far the sentinel's thoughts had been before he finally fell asleep.

Instead, she heard him answer her in a neutral tone.

"It's forgotten. Let us just pretend it never happened.”

She looked up at him and smiled, frankly.

"Thank you, Abelas.”

He shifted his attention to the berries she had picked and she felt a little more relaxed, reassured to have clarified this slight discomfort.

They gathered their belongings shortly afterwards and set off on their journey.

The journey to the Emprise du Lion was relatively calm and they walked at a steady pace. Ellana was impatient to reach the Inquisition camp, worried about leaving her companions without news for so long.

They hardly spoke at all during the day, concentrating on their progress and stopping only for a quick bite to eat or drink.

By nightfall, they were not far from Suledin keep and decided to continue until they reached the fort.

When the doors opened to let them in, Ellana was weary. Leaning against a wall, she let herself slide to the floor in an exhausted sigh. Abelas was more reserved than she was, standing upright beside her, but she could see the marks of weariness on his face too. His lips were pursed, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his gaze seemed lost in the haze.

Two inquisition agents had rushed to help the Inquisitor and the sentinel, and they were quickly led into a large tent, warm and sheltered from the wind.

Ellana transmitted her report to the messenger here and once the raven was sent to Skyhold, she finally allowed herself to relax. Abelas had watched her in silence and made no comment until then.

"We should be able to link up to Skyhold in no time from here." He said as she yawned and stretched. She smiled at him and nodded, all tension gone.

"I'm relieved."

She began to make her cot ready for the evening. "Tomorrow we'll take mounts from the stables and we'll be able to reach the fortress in a day and a half. In the meantime, Cullen would have been notified, and a message will go out to the Emerald Graves camp in case they're still there."

The tent was spacious, enough to arrange their respective beds on each side, leaving a large empty space between them. She saw Abelas set up on the opposite side and bit her lower lip so as not to make any remark about the distance between them.

Once their things were set up, they left the tent for a quick meal. The soldiers had prepared a stew with meat and vegetables and Ellana served herself a large portion, happy to finally have something hot to eat. Abelas did the same and they ate with the garrison, answering questions and talking about everything.

When the last soldiers had left the table, Ellana in turn stood up, imitated by Abelas and they returned to their tents without exchanging a word.

He turned his back on her as he removed his armor and she took the opportunity to change her clothes quickly before slipping under her blanket. The camp at Suledin keep was much more comfortable than their improvised camp the day before and she sighed comfortably as she felt the thickness of the small mattress she was lying on. She glanced in the direction of the sentinel and despite the darkness, she saw him settling under his blanket.

"Good night." She said tentatively after a while, seeing that the sentinel didn't seem to want to talk anymore.

"Good night. "He replied almost immediately.

Ellana regretted not having Iron Bull or Dorian to talk to.

***

Abelas silently admonished himself as he fixed the canvas of the tent above him. The Inquisitor was probably uncomfortable, and he had done nothing to make her feel better. Worse still, he had shown himself to be totally incapable of carrying on a single conversation all evening. His thoughts were constantly being drawn elsewhere, causing him to lose track of the conversations and leading the soldiers to lose interest in him.

Not that he would have liked to attract their attention, but he felt like he was being cold and distant. This was not the image he wanted to show if he wanted to gain the Inquisitor's trust. The incident the day before seemed to be still vivid to Ellana, who had been more distant with him, and he could not understand why this annoyed him so much. Turning in his bedroll, he looked at the sleeping Inquisitor a little further away and found himself missing her proximity.

In the darkness, he could make out her short blonde locks that partially covered her face. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and this reminded him of the first time he had woken up beside her at Skyhold. Despite her frail figure, Ellana seemed to be carrying the weight of far too much responsibility. He could not believe she can still stand after all this time.

A noise outside suddenly caught his attention and he knew what was waiting for him. Rising as quietly as he could, he slipped out of the tent and unsurprisingly found an agent of Fen'Harel hidden in the shadows. When he saw the sentinel, he straightened up a little and greeted him formally.

"Fen'Harel sent me." He said in a low voice and Abelas simply nodded.

"I have to infiltrate the fortress by taking the appearance of their soldiers, but they know everyone here, the disappearance of one of them would be too easily spotted.”

Abelas understood the difficulty of integrating a garrison in which each member was known to everyone. Impossible to discreetly kill a soldier and take his place.

"Why don't you pretend to be a newcomer?" Then asked the sentinel.

"Each newcomer arrives with a document approved by the Inquisitor. She has to put a seal on it, and she always carries it with her.”

Realizing where this was leading him, he gritted his teeth. Digging through Ellana's personal belongings did not please him, and the risk of being caught was high.

"I can't steal it." He replied firmly. "I will take the document with me and make sure I seal it before daybreak." He added, reaching out his hand.

The spy took a parchment out of his coat, protected in a wooden tube to prevent it from creasing, and handed it to him. Abelas took the document and asked his interlocutor to disappear.

"I'll leave the scroll in the alcove right here." he said, pointing to a wall a little further away and the spy nodded silently.

Back in the tent, he conjured up a very faint light and opened the tube before unrolling the parchment, which was accompanied by a stick of red wax. He had no memory of seeing any ring on the Inquisitor's finger and wondered if she had not left it in her package at the Emerald Graves. For a moment, he felt his pulse racing at the thought of disappointing Fen'Harel.

He began by searching in her tunic, touching the fabric in the hope of finding some kind of seal, but found nothing, not a single pocket that could have contained what he was looking for. He then turned to her daggers, wondering if the handle had been carved to hide a seal or something similar, but again he found nothing convincing.

There was only one solution left, and he turned to her, holding his breath. He was going to have to check directly on her.

Slowly approaching, he had his gaze fixed on her face, watching for the slightest sign that would betray her awakening. Gently, he lifted the blanket under which she was buried and directed the light source towards her hand, confirming that she was not wearing a ring. Retaining a curse, he also inspected her artificial hand but had no luck there too.

With the blanket half raised like this, if someone were to enter the tent at that moment, Abelas would look like a man getting into bed with a sleeping woman and it would be very difficult for him to get out of this situation. Ellana moved in her sleep and her arm grazed him, making his heart stop for a second. He stood perfectly still, his gaze riveted on the Inquisitor's closed eyes as he waited to confirm that she was still asleep. When she showed no sign of consciousness, he continued his inspection and his gaze fell on a leather cord around her neck that he had never noticed before. Gently he tugged on the cord that was lost under the Inquisitor's clothes, finally revealing a gold ring that was flat at the top, exposing the seal of the inquisition to which had been added motifs reminiscent of Mythal’s vallaslin. He looked for a fastener to untie the necklace, but the cord was firmly attached and could only be removed by passing it over her head.

Holding back a resigned sigh, he slipped one hand under Ellana's head to lift her a few inches while on the other he removed her seal.

Once the seal was in his possession, he wasted no time and melted a small amount of wax on the parchment before affixing the seal. He left the document on his bed and then returned to Ellana to give her necklace back.

As he slipped his fingers through her hair, she opened her eyes with a groan and crossed Abelas' gaze, who had stopped all movement when he saw her eyelashes flapping.

"Abelas?" She asked still half asleep.

In a moment of panic, he answered the first thing that popped into his mind.

"Shh, it's just a dream." He said in a reassuring voice. Already he was preparing a sleep spell to force her back to sleep if necessary.

"Good." she replied with a smile.

He thought she would fall asleep again, but instead she grabbed the collar of his tunic and pulled him to her. He fell into the bed above her, a knee between her legs and his throat tied at the sight of her below him. Before he could react, her lips were on his. Barely a caress, a tender and deliciously comforting gesture that lasted only a second.

"I'd rather sleep with you, glad to have you at least in my dreams." She whispered, smiling at him.

Before things got out of hand, he used his spell and she sank back into unconsciousness. Immediately, he finished putting her necklace back on and left the Inquisitor's bed, putting the blanket back on.

Mechanically, he put the sealed parchment back in the tube and went out to put it in the alcove before going back to bed. As he was finally lying down in his bed, he couldn't help but think back to what Ellana said.

So, she regretted not sleeping with him? Was it true or just digressions of a half-asleep person? He moistened his lips as he thought of the kiss they had exchanged. He had been taken by surprise and hadn't had time to realize what was happening that it was already over. A part of him couldn't help but regret that it hadn't lasted longer, but he quickly put the idea out of his mind.

Sleep was hard to come but when it came, he was almost relieved to see that Fen'Harel was waiting patiently for him not far from the camp.

"I was getting impatient." he said simply when the sentinel joined him.

"Please forgive me." Abelas replied politely. Focusing on his work was the best way to force himself to think about something other than the Inquisitor.

The Evanuri watched the sentinel for a few moments before resuming his speech.

"Have you managed to guarantee my spy an entry? "He asked, crossing his hands behind his back.

"Yes, master. He shouldn't have any problem settling down at Suledin keep.”

"Perfect. I am not staying any longer then." Fen'Harel announced before crossing the sentinel's gaze.

"Soon you will be able to return to our fortress." he added after a short hesitation. "You won't have to suffer Ellana's presence for too long.”

Caught short, Abelas almost protested but held back at the last moment. Strangely enough, he was not as eager to return to Fen'Harel's side as he had thought.

"I await your signal." He simply said before Fen'Harel left the fade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was a long absence but I'm finally back starting with a short chapter here. Hope you'll enjoy it !


	5. Ascension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> revised on 10/03/2020

Ellana was checking her mount’s straps with Abelas, who was also finishing his preparations to leave the fortress. She had had a strange dream last night and woke up with a particularly painful headache. When she tried to remember her dream, she remembered seeing Abelas, they had exchanged a few words and then it was all blank.

For the third time, she was trying to readjust her stirrup and was wrong about the size. She let out a frustrated grunt when she realized that she had done it wrong again and undid the buckle with a sigh.

Behind her, she heard the sentinel saddle up easily despite his armor and she did her best not to show her annoyance before getting on her horse.

The Inquisition’s soldiers greeted the Inquisitor one last time and then they set out on the road.

The path was relatively flat and they galloped away, the cold wind sweeping away the Ellana's hair, who already felt the tip of her nose getting dangerously cold.

After almost an hour riding at this pace, they slowed down and let their mounts move quietly at a leisurely pace. Abelas leveled with her while the road still allowed it, and he took out a flask of water to quench his thirst.

She was so cold and despite the gloves and furs provided by the soldiers at Suledin kepp, she could no longer feel her fingers. Letting go of the reins with difficulty, she held her fingers in front of her mouth, hoping to warm them up a little.

Abelas was watching her, visibly at ease despite the cold, and she realized that he must have used his magic to keep himself warm. She had to admit that she wouldn't have said no to a little magic.

"Is everything okay? " Asked the sentinel when he saw her trembling on her mount.

"I'm cold." She replied after a few seconds of hesitation. "I regret having left my package at the Emerald Graves..."

She thought of Adan's potions, made for her journeys to Skyhold. These little vials warmed the body despite the cold and wind, allowing her to make a comfortable journey. These little wonders were now waiting in her bag at the other end of Thedas.

To her surprise, Abelas brought his mount closer, close enough for their legs to graze. He took off one of his gauntlets and pinned it to his saddle before leaning over and reaching out his hand.

"Take off your glove." He asked nicely.

Hesitant, she finally obeyed and timidly offered her hand. He took it in his and she felt a heat wave invade her, warming her deliciously.

"You should be safe for a few hours." He said as he finally let go of her hand. "The spell will have to be renewed at midday. "He put his gauntlet back on and she did the same with her glove.

"Thank you, Abelas. " She said, trying to cross his gaze.

His golden eyes fell upon her and a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold ran through her. Feeling her cheeks turning pink, she looked away and heeled her mount to overtake him.

The rest of the morning went by without much discussion and when they took a mid-day break, Ellana was relieved to be able to get ashore.

They left their mounts tied to a pine tree not far from the path that went up into the mountains and Abelas began to gather wood to make a fire. Luckily for them, the weather was with them and a bright sun was shining on the snow-covered landscape. The soldiers had provided them with rations and dried meat, but they had refused to abuse the garrison's provisions and had taken only the bare minimum. She stretched the bowstring she had bought on the exalted plains and took her quiver with the firm intention of bringing back some game.

As she walked away from their small camp, she spotted promising tracks in the snow almost immediately and followed them in silence. Tracking was something innate to her, and it cleared her mind. She did not realize how far she had traveled as she stalked her prey.

After a good twenty minutes, she finally saw what she was looking for. A pheasant was pecking at the foot of a large tree, still unaware of the Inquisitor's presence.

Silently, she aimed, holding her breath before letting go her arrow. Reaching her target on the first shot, she grabbed the animal and attached it to her belt to return to the main path.

She found Abelas sitting by the fire with a small knife in one hand and a piece of wood in the other. He was distractedly carving the piece of wood and did not seem to notice her return. She was startled when he spoke, without raising his head.

"Did you find anything interesting?”

"A pheasant." She replied, unbuckling her grip from her belt. "Enough to last until tomorrow without any worries.”

The sentinel finally raised his head and looked approvingly at the prey the Inquisitor had brought back. The arrow had hit the beast in the head, leaving the rest of the body intact, a fine demonstration of precision.

"What are you doing? " asked Ellana, curious to see what he was carving.

"Nothing very interesting." He hastened to reply. "An old habit that helps me pass the time.”

She approached and sat down beside him, bending forward to observe the piece of wood from which emerged what looked like horns of a halla. The precision with which he had detailed and drawn the wavy horns was impressive. If she did not see him do it in front of her, she would never have believed that such a work had been done with a simple knife.

"It's beautiful..." she murmured as she continued to observe, not realizing that she had gotten a little closer to him.

"Are all ancient elves as good as you? " She asked. It was the first time she dared to ask him about his past and she didn't know if he would answer.

"I wouldn't say I'm particularly gifted." Observed the sentinel without raising his eyes to his work. "But most of us were versed in many arts, yes."

She thought back to the frescoes that Solas had done at Skyhold and turned her head away so as not to show her sudden melancholy.

"What was life like in Arlathan?" she finally asked.

The knife stopped and he raised his head to meet her gaze. Even when she tried, Ellana couldn't decipher his emotions.

"I'm not necessarily the right person to answer that question."

"Why?"

"I dedicated my entire life to Mythal and the life I led wasn't exactly the life elves of Arlathan dreamed of."

"I'd still like to know. You chose this path because it must have been valuable to you..."

Suddenly realizing that he may not have had a choice, that he may have been forced into this path, Ellana felt uncomfortable.

"I mean... if you really chose this life... If not, you don't have to..."

Her cheeks were scarlet with shame for her clumsiness. Yet, far from offending the sentinel, he laughed at her dismay. Abelas' laughter was surprisingly warm, and Ellana looked at him with a surprised look.

"There's no need to get all confused." He said once calmed down, a smile on his lips... "I chose this path of my own free will, and if you like, I'll explain it to you.”

"I'd like that."

He put the sculpture next to him and put his knife in a pocket of his tunic.

"I became a sentinel shortly after I entered adulthood." he began, " After centuries of strict training, I was allowed to officially serve Mythal. My role was to ensure the security of her many temples, help organize official ceremonies and maintain my martial skills... "

Ellana listened to him just as she had listened to her keeper every night in her youth. She tried to imagine Abelas younger and wondered how old he was.

"My daily life was pretty simple. We started the day with a meal with the other sentinels, then we cleaned the temple where we were stationed. The afternoon was then dedicated to physical training and meditation. The evening and night were devoted to various arts, according to our tastes.”

"Who taught you how to carve?”

Abelas looked down at the piece of wood next to him.

"My sister." he murmured. "She was much more gifted than me and insisted on teaching me before I joined the sentinels." He let out a brief laugh, devoid of joy this time. "She kept saying that I was wasting my life locking myself in a temple and that I'd be bored... "

Ellana widened her eyes slightly.

"You had a sister? "

"A sister to many brothers." Corrected Abelas. "I was the youngest and least docile. After causing many problems in my youth, I decided to make amends by dedicating my adult life to a humbler role..."

"The least docile?" She wondered.

Again, she saw him smiling as he seemed to be remembering something particularly amusing.

"Let us just say I've caused my share of problems." He said mysteriously. "But I will dwell on it no further.”

She started smiling back.

"Oh, no." she complained. "I want to know even more now.”

He got up and approached his mount to take out some provisions.

"Hurry up and prepare the game." He said without paying attention to her pleading gaze "We cannot linger too long if we are to reach Tarasyl'an Te'las by tomorrow evening.”

"Tarasyl'an Te'las?"

"You could translate that as "the place where the sky is kept" in your language. Skyhold."

She recorded the information and then stood up to pluck her catch, saving the prettiest feathers for her arrows and for future barter.

While she was busy preparing the animal, Abelas had been preparing the rest of their meal. She gave him a discreet glance, observing his precise gestures and wondering what his interests were. What could one appreciate when one had lived through millennia?

They ate quickly enough and put out the fire to get back on the road. As she was about to get back on saddle, he stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder and she turned around, curious.

"What?”

"I have to renew the spell if you want to stay warm." he said, taking her hand gently. "I did that a little hastily earlier, let me do it properly this time.”

Abelas' hand was warm on hers and she wondered what more he could do than what he had done when they were on horseback. Her pulse suddenly quickened when she saw him coming closer. He let go of her hand and placed his hands on either side of her temples. She felt the magic run over her skin, slowly he lowered his hands down her body without touching her. Despite the total absence of contact, something in his gestures and proximity made the process more intimate than it really was.

When he had finished, he withdrew his hands, but did not immediately step back. She raised her head to meet his gaze and only now did she notice how tall he was compared to the elves she knew.

"Thank you, Abelas." She murmured.

He lowered his eyes towards her and for a few seconds a strange silence floated between them.

Appearing to come to his senses, he took a step back and cleared his throat.

"You should be warm until tonight." He said as he turned his back to mount his horse.

Too happy to get out of this awkward situation, she didn't take offense at the cold tone he had used and got back on her horse in turn. After a few hours of riding, she had to admit that she was deliciously warm, but wasn't sure if the spell was the only cause.

***

The path had narrowed considerably since they had begun their ascent, and Abelas watched the Inquisitor riding ahead of him. Her blond hair almost grazed her shoulders at each step and she was standing upright on her saddle, clearly more comfortable than she had been this morning.

With the spell he had used after their break, she should be out of the cold for quite a while.

Thinking back, he felt his pulse quicken. He did not know why he had lingered near her after finishing his spell, but he had found himself unable to move when she raised her green eyes towards him. He had been sunk in place, his gaze resolutely anchored in hers.

It was only after a huge effort that he finally backed down.

The memory of a stolen kiss in the middle of the night came back to haunt him and he took a deep breath, looking away from Ellana's back.

He could not continue like this, his mission would be in jeopardy if he allowed himself to be so easily distracted from his work. It was not a Dalish elf, a shemlen, that would distract him from his mission for Fen'Harel.

But even the Dread Wolf had fallen for her. An Evanuri had fallen in love with this woman. He had been weak for her, for her sweet smile, her green eyes and golden hair. He had been distracted by her shapes, her slim silhouette, the curve of her hips...

Realizing where his thoughts were leading him, he reconnected to the present. Looking into the distance, he noticed that the sun would soon set. they would have to think about finding shelter.

Many shelters had been set up around Skyhold for the Inquisition. Enough to provide agents and passing visitors with enough shelter for the night on their way to the fortress. He had no doubt that the Inquisitor must have known their exact locations.

"How long before we reach the camp? " He asked anyway, to be sure.

The Inquisitor observed the landscape around them for a few moments, probably looking for a landmark. Abelas had already noticed her talents as a tracker, when she was tracking prey, or when it came to guiding others through the wilderness, Ellana was full of confidence and seemed less fragile than in the heart of Skyhold surrounded by her soldiers and advisors.

"Within two to three hours depending on road conditions." She replied, turning on her saddle to look at him. "It'll be dark soon, but I guess that's not a problem for you, is it?"

He didn't quite know what she meant but nodded anyway. Refocusing on the road, she turned her back on him again. Their mounts were advancing at a steady pace, visibly accustomed to the journey, which allowed him to get lost in his thoughts again.

The Inquisition shelters were designed for small groups but could accommodate up to four people and as many mounts. It was unlikely that they would sleep together again on their last night. The disappointment he felt made him angry with himself, but he could not deny the facts. It would certainly be the last time he would be alone with Ellana for an entire night, and part of his mind hoped that he would have another opportunity to be close to the Inquisitor.

To think of it, it was freezing cold at night in those mountains, so it would be better to stay close so as not to freeze to death...

He might as well throw a barrier over the cave's entrance that would shelter them, he thought, rational.

He could...

He smiled slightly as he decided that he would not do it unless Ellana explicitly asked him to. Suddenly in a better mood, he continued on his way, looking forward to the last stage before the fortress.

***

"The cave should be right around this bend." Ellana announced as she shortened her reins, which she had left loose as her horse walked quietly. "A few more yards and..."

She did not finish her sentence and Abelas immediately put himself on guard.

"What is it? " He asked, staring at the Inquisitor who had stopped her horse.

When she did not respond, he grabbed his reins firmly and he heeled his own horse to quickly join Ellana.

When he reached her level, he followed her gaze, ready to fight. There was light coming from the cave where the Inquisition shelter was located. Friend or foe, they did not yet know.

"Stay on saddle." he said as he cautiously dismounted. "If things go wrong, turn back immediately.”

"There is no way I am going to do that!" she said, outraged. "I don't intend to run away like a helpless little girl." She jumped out of her saddle and drew her daggers, a murderous gleam in her eyes. Abelas felt his throat clench at the sight of her so fierce, and he passed the tip of his tongue on his lips unconsciously.

"Let me tie up the horses." He said as he took both animals by the bridle. "It is better to have them ready in case you have to run in a hurry.”

She obviously agreed with him and put her weapons back on while she tied the reins to a branch. Once again focused on the strangers in the cave, she turned to him and placed a finger on her lips before grabbing her daggers while he gathered his magic, ready to cast a powerful gel spell.

They advanced at wolf's pace to the entrance when they heard a voice, surprising Ellana so much that she let her guard down.

"They should be here by now. We should go check the surrounding area, just in case..."

They heard a disgusted noise for any response, followed by another familiar voice.

"Commander, stop worrying, the message was clear, they'll be coming this way and they won't be long now. There's no need to search the area.”

Abelas saw Ellana walking towards the entrance of the cave in the open and he followed her, having recognized her companions.

"Cullen? Cassandra?”

When they heard Ellana's voice, they stopped their discussion and turned to her, visibly relieved. The commander rose from the trunk on which he was sitting and came to meet her.

"Inquisitor, I--" He started before he realized they weren't alone. "We're relieved to have you back on your feet..." He looked embarrassed and scratched the back of his head looking away. "We were worried sick when we heard you disappeared from the Emerald Graves.”

"I'm sorry." She said, apparently unaware of her commander's discomfort. "It's a good thing Abelas was with me." She added, turning to him and smiling. The commander did the same, but there was no smile on his face.

"Thank you." he said anyway.

Cassandra joined them.

"I thought you borrowed some mounts from Suledin keep. "She said as she looked at them one by one. "Did you walk all the way there? " she wondered.

"Oh, no." Ellana replied immediately, laughing. "We saw a light and didn't know who was there, so we tied the horses up a little farther away in case... "

"Wise decision. " Cassandra remarked. "Let's get them inside, there's enough food for them, Dennet gave us some fodder to keep them strong for tomorrow's journey.”

"I will help you." Said Cullen immediately. "Both of you, go inside and get warm, you must be tired.”

Accepting the offer with pleasure, they entered the cave in which a large fire was happily crackling and sat side by side on a trunk to warm themselves.

"What a nice surprise." Said Ellana, glad as she looked up at him... He held her gaze for a few moments and she smiled at him. His heart leapt to his chest and he looked away.

"You must be relieved. " He said, not as excited as she was.

Not noticing his mood, she nodded.

"Now that Cassandra and Cullen are here, I can completely blow off the pressure. I know they'll take matters into their own hands for me.”

He understood what she meant. With those two around, she would again be treated like a fragile thing that would break at the slightest gust of wind.

Uncomfortable in his armor, he decided to remove a few pieces of it to be freer of his movements. Ellana saw him do it and stopped his hand.

"Allow me?" She asked innocently.

He nodded his head and she slipped her fingers under the shoulder pads, skillfully undoing the leather buckles. Within seconds she had removed the plates and he gave her an amused look.

"I had no idea you were capable of removing a man's armor so skillfully.”

She took a few seconds to understand the innuendo and her cheeks turned scarlet.

"I... it's not..."

She didn't have time to finish her sentence when he interrupted her.

"I was just teasing, no need to get worried. " He took her chin delicately between his fingers to make her to look him in the eyes.

"Thank you, Ellana." he murmured.

It was the first time he had said her name and his breath had gotten caught in his throat. Distractedly, his gaze passed from her eyes to her lips and he saw her open them slightly. Ellana leaned slowly forward and his heart suddenly raced as he leaned to meet her.

"I hope you're hungry! " Announced Cassandra as she returned holding Abelas' horse by the bridle.

They both jumped and he immediately let go of her chin, getting up to join the warrior and help her unhook his horse. The warmth he felt in his lower abdomen made him a little feverish and he hoped his cheeks weren't too red. He didn't even dare look at the Inquisitor.

Ellana had also stood up and joined Cullen, who greeted her with a radiant smile.

Seeing the Inquisitor at her commander's side, a smile on her lips and visibly relaxed, he felt jealousy consuming him from within. It was a new feeling for him but by experience he knew how dangerous it could become.


	6. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning : this chapter deals with sensitive topics such as suicide.  
> Also, it is a NSFW chapter and I'm adjusting tags from now.
> 
> revised on 10/03/2020

Ellana was lying on her back between Cassandra and Cullen, her companions had insisted on her safety and despite her protests she had finally given in.

She was staring at the ceiling and could not sleep. It had been a very strange evening and she did not know what to think. Again, her behavior had been inappropriate towards Abelas.

If Cassandra had not arrived with the horses, she would have stolen a kiss from the sentinel. Looking back, it had been years since she had felt the urge to kiss a man other than Solas, and when Abelas had put his long fingers on her chin, she had completely forgotten her former lover for a bliss moment...

If she believed what her friends had said would happen, maybe she was finally healing.

Discreetly, she raised her arm in front of her eyes, observing the two long scars that marked her right forearm.

That day, she thought she was doing the right thing. She thought all her problems would end with her. That all it took was a blade to cut the bond between her and the Dread Wolf.

That day, she had waited until she was alone in the rotunda, surrounded by his frescoes that reminded her of so many memories, and she did it. She had been in depression for months and she thought the only way out was to suppress herself. No more Solas, no more duties, no more Inquisition...

The blade had cut into her flesh deeply as she had held the handle between her teeth. At the time, Dagna had not yet made her artificial arm. The pain had been excruciating, but it was nothing compared to what she experienced every time she thought of Solas. She had cut her forearm all the way along the veins she could discern. Two deep gashes, then she had loosened her teeth, dropping the little dagger to the ground, and sat facing the paintings that depicted her life in the Inquisition, waiting to sink into unconsciousness.

What an end for the great Inquisitor. To die of grief. Some might think her weak or even a coward, but at the time she did not care anymore.

If Cullen hadn't gone through the rotunda to retrieve a missive left in the war room, she probably would have succeeded. She'd already lost a lot of blood when the commander had found her.

Despite the semi-unconsciousness in which she was, she had seen Cullen's face turn pale as he understood what she had done. She had saw the panic in his eyes as he had fell to his knees beside her, begging her to stay alive as he tried to stop the bleeding...

She had cursed the mage healer who had immediately closed her wounds, ending her attempt with equal ease.

After the incident, she had never once been left completely alone...

To Cassandra's right, she heard the sentinel turn and sigh. Straightening up on her elbows, she tried to see if he was awake.

Cassandra frowned and turned under her blanket and Ellana feared she had woken the warrior. She changed her mind and laid down on her bedroll, sleep would eventually come to her.

***

When she opened her eyes again, she took a moment to understand she was in the fade, in Mythal's temple. She often came back to the well of sorrows in a totally random way. A whim of the well no doubt.

Since she had lost her anchor, she had almost no control over her dreams. She had enjoyed learning to control the fade, to make it take her wherever she wanted. But when Solas had taken over the mark, she had lost that ability. The well had only one place where it seemed to want to be...

Dressed in an outfit that must have belonged to the temple's priestesses, she was stuck here until she woke up.

Spectral shapes wandered the corridors. If she concentrated long enough, she could sometimes make out a face. Some seemed to want to interact with her, but she didn't have enough power over her surroundings to make them tangible. The voices, on the other hand, were much louder here. She could clearly hear the words but could not grasp their meaning.

It was the same scenario every time. But today something was different.

As she sat at the edge of the pool, her feet in the water and looking up at the sky, she felt an unusual presence. She turned her head to a corner behind one of the Eluvian, through which she had fled years earlier, and saw a black wolf watching her from a distance.

She felt her heart leap in her chest and her whole body tensed up as she watched the beast.

"I hope for your sake you're not the one I'm thinking of." She said, threateningly. "For if you are Fen'Harel, I must remind you that the time when you were allowed to see me so late at night is long gone..."

The wolf got up and she did the same, instinctively putting her hand where her daggers should have been. Finding her hands empty, she panicked slightly.

The wolf changed shape and Solas then faced her, a sad look on his face.

"Venhan..." he murmured, his voice broken.

"Don't try." She cut him off, shocked to see his face again. "Go away."

The Vir'abelasan reacted with her and the voices became louder in her head. The water in the basin, until then as smooth as ice, began to bubble slightly.

"Ellana, _ma venhan_ , listen to me." Asked Solas as he stepped towards her.

Fear took over and she retreated in search of her words, the voices whispered them to her in Elven.

“ _Nar lath banal. Nar venhan nis_ ” [ _Your love is nothing, your heart is dry]_

He seemed deeply wounded by her words, she saw it clearly in his eyes and she took the opportunity to repeat again, still in ancient Elven.

" _Vara!_ "[ _Go away]_

A powerful shock wave then struck him, and he suddenly disappeared from the temple. Several ghostly figures were gathered at the pool, and she suspected them of having banished Fen'Harel from her dream. The voices in her head calmed down and whispered words that sounded comforting, one of the voices uttered something she understood, and a smile appeared on her lips.

" _na ethal, falon_. _" [You are safe, friend_ ]

She thanked the well of sorrows for helping her and returned to the pool, eagerly waiting to wake up.

***

Solas suddenly woke up in his fortress. The power of the well had banished him from the fade! He sat up in his bed, shocked.

It was out of pure selfishness that he went to see her. He wanted to lay eyes on her, just for a second. He knew that Ellana was regularly at the temple, carried there by the _Vir’abelasan_. When he had sensed her presence as he fell asleep, he had not resisted.

He had given himself courage to think that he might have the opportunity to recapture the latent magic of the well, even though Ellana was now the vessel. But the strength with which it had responded to the Inquisitor's will proved him wrong.

He put a hand over his face and looked out, it was still dark. The moon lit up part of his bed and he turned his attention to his room.

In his main fortress he enjoyed all the luxuries once enjoyed by the Evanuri, with all the soldiers and servants he wanted. More than one woman had volunteered to warm his sheets since he had started his rebellion. But he had always refused, insisting on sleeping alone in a bed made for two...

Seeing Ellana again came as a shock to him. He wanted to talk to her, pretend they were not enemies just for a faint moment.

But she had pushed him away so violently... She could no longer see Solas when she looked at him, he was just Fen'Harel, a traitor to her cause.

She had begged him to let her come with him. To build this new world together, but he had refused at the time, explaining that he did not want to lead her down this path.

Today he regretted those words. He had not foreseen that her absence would affect him so much. He did not anticipate the pain and the loss. In a plaintive groan, he let himself fall backwards into bed and stared at the ceiling waiting for sleep to come back to him.

***

When she woke up, Ellana was not at her best. Seeing Solas again, even in a dream, had been a shock. She stood up to see that everyone was still asleep and silently got up to stretch her legs.

It had snowed a lot during the night and the road was going to be slippery all the way to Skyhold. Taking care not to stray too far from the path, she walked for a few minutes towards a more exposed spot where she could see the sun coming out.

Finding what she was looking for, she sat down on a rock with a clear view of the mountain range and waited silently, knees raised under her chin as she did when she was a child.

Less than an hour later, the first rays swept over her face and warmed her up a bit. Just a few minutes later, Cullen's voice reached her, not far away.

"You shouldn't be out here in this cold." He said as he removed the fur from his shoulders and placed it on her back. "It's not much, but it'll be better than what you're wearing now." he said with a slight smile.

"Thank you, Commander." She replied, forcing herself to smile.

Cullen was kind, always worried about her and extremely considerate. Ellana had long noticed that he was interested in her, but she pretended ignorance, not having yet found the courage to reject him.

It was not that he was not a good man, on the contrary, it was just that she could not imagine having a romantic relationship with her commander. He was not really the kind of man who had that kind of effect on her.

She sometimes regretted that. With a man like Cullen, she never would have gone through what she'd gone through with Solas.

It had taken her some time to realize the strangeness of her relationship with Fen'harel. She had to chase him constantly for the slightest attention, and their rare moments of intimacy had been difficult to get.

He had been so distant and couldn't be more reluctant to enter into a relationship.

Now that she knew his past, and his plans, his behavior was much more logical. He had not wanted to get attached to her because he knew it wouldn't last.

"Are you holding up?" Cullen asked suddenly, taking her mind off it.

"Yeah, sure, Cullen." she replied, trying to reassure him. "Nothing to worry about.”

He observed her for a moment before turning his gaze to the mountains in the distance.

"You have the same look... " he said after a short hesitation. "The same as after he left..."

She had been worrying her companions since the accident. Blaming herself for letting herself get melancholic, she straightened up, leaving her little promontory.

"It's okay." She said firmly. "I will no longer let this... _harellan..._ influence my mood and my actions.”

She saw Cullen frown when he heard her speak Elven, but he didn't ask any questions.

"Thank you." He said smiling weakly. "That's all I wanted to hear.”

"What if we went back to camp?" She offered, and Cullen reached out his arm.

"With pleasure. Come on, the ground's frozen and the return can be a little slippery.”

Accepting his help, she clung to his arm, taking care not to touch it more than necessary. She should not make him hope for anything more than a simple professional friendship. As they arrived near the cave, she saw Abelas standing guard at the entrance. His golden gaze fell on her and her throat clenched.

When he saw the setinel, Cullen got a little closer to her and she realized that she might have to have a conversation with the commander sooner than expected.

***

The gates of Skyhold opened on the Inquisitor's companions who were waiting for her in the courtyard. Abelas led his horse straight to the stables, leaving Ellana with her people. He was in a bad mood and preferred not to speak with anyone.

He had woken up shortly before sunrise to find the Inquisitor missing from the cave, soon he had also noticed Cullen's absence and his stomach tightened as he imagined the commander with the Inquisitor in his arms. Had they slipped away in the middle of the night to spend some time alone? He got up, put his armor back on and went out into the open to observe the surroundings.

He noticed the Inquisitor's footprints and the Commander's fresher ones and realized that they had not made the journey together. This meant nothing, and he suppressed the urge to follow them.

Shortly afterwards, his attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps in the snow and he spotted the two silhouettes approaching.

Ellana wore the Commander's fur on her shoulders and he clenched his teeth when he saw them glued together.

He had not said a word since then and had gone back on the road looking gloomy. Nor had Ellana tried to engage him in conversation, as she was too busy talking with Cassandra and her dear commander.

He dismounted from his horse and entrusted the reins to a groom before taking the direction of the rotunda, to return to his room.

"Hey, sentinel! " Iron Bull called him out, signaling him to stop.

With his back turned to the qunari, he breathed a resigned sigh before turning around.

"Quite a ride from the emerald tombs. How are you holding up?”

"I'm fine, thank you." He replied a little coldly. "I need to rest for the moment. We can discuss tomorrow if you like.”

Iron Bull watched him for a few moments before shrugging his shoulders.

"All right, the boss wanted to invite you for a drink tonight, but if you'd rather be alone, I'll tell her you're not in the mood.”

Abelas bit his tongue so as not to answer too quickly.

"The Inquisitor?" he asked, doing his best to appear detached. "She didn't tell me about it on the road...”

Bull smiled and the sentinel had the unpleasant impression that he had noticed something.

 _A spy always recognizes another one..._ he thought a little worried.

"She just came up with the idea and was surprised not to see you at her side in the courtyard. I took the liberty of being the messenger.”

He thought for a few moments before finally giving in.

"All right, if the Inquisitor asks, you can tell her I'll be there tonight. At the tavern, I assume?”

Iron Bull's smile got wider.

"No, in her private quarters. Three hours after sunset.”

Surprised, Abelas did his best not to show it, and merely nodded his head.

"Understood." He replied politely before taking his leave.

***

When he arrived at the door of Ellana's quarters, he did not need to knock since it was ajar.

Expecting to hear the shouts of the Inquisitor's friends, he was surprised by the silence. As he climbed the last steps, he found Ellana's room turned upside down, empty bottles strewn across the floor and the furniture had been moved, leaving a table in the center of the room covered with all kinds of food and half-empty cups.

Ellana was alone on her balcony and suddenly turned around when she sensed the presence of someone.

"Abelas?" She asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?”

He walked up to her, carefully avoiding shards of glass left behind by a broken wine bottle.

"I thought there must be your companions here..." he began, hesitant. "It seems I'm late.”

She looked at him silently before she began to smile.

"They were here just half an hour ago.”

Did he misunderstand Iron Bull's instructions? No, he was confident that he had respected the time he had given him.

"I'm sorry, I must have gotten the wrong time." He replied, a little uncomfortable.

Ellana was slightly drunk, Abelas could see it from her posture and her slightly sloppy appearance. She smiled at him before joining him, trying her best to avoid stepping on glass or anything else on the floor, but in her condition it wasn’t easy.

As she was about to step on a piece of glass, he hurried towards her and grabbed her by the waist, drawing her to him.

"You shouldn't be walking around barefoot given the state of your room." He whispered before he literally lifted her off the floor and carried her in his arms.

"Abelas!" she cried, her cheeks red. "Put me down.”

"In a moment." He replied calmly as he made his way to her canopy bed, at least it seemed intact compared to the rest of the room. Once there, he gently laid her down on the mattress. "There, there's no risk of injury here.”

He glanced over to the table where she must have played cards with her friends.

"Sorry I wasn't here on time, Iron Bull told me you wanted me to participate.”

"Iron Bull? " she asked, surprised. "I've never..." she seemed to understand something. "Oh Bull, you dirty little..."

Turning her attention to the sentinel, she gave him a contrite smile.

"It seems to me that he played a bad trick on you.”

Suddenly uncomfortable being in the Inquisitor's room late at night without really being invited. He gave her a sorry look.

"Maybe I should go." he suggested.

"No!" Ellana exclaimed before putting her hand over her mouth, as if surprised by her own answer. "I mean... can you stay and share a drink or two with me?"

He was not against a drink or two, he thought.

"Well, why not." He grabbed a bottle that was still half full and an empty cup before helping himself to a glass of what appeared to be some strong red wine. He also served a glass to the Inquisitor and sat down beside her on the bed.

She raised her glass and he did the same.

"To the end of our long journey," she said, taking a sip.

"From which we get back safe and sound," he added, drinking in turn.

"So, now that we're both safe from prying ears..." Ellana started, "Tell me, what were the troubles of your youth? Before you became a sentinel.”

He gave her an amused look and couldn't help smiling.

"You don't lose your way."

"Never. "she replied, with an innocent smile on her lips.

"All right. " he sighed. "Since you insist. I'm going to tell you about the unconscious, unruly elf I once was... "

She took one of her cushions and pressed it against her chest, perfectly listening.

"As I told you, I was the youngest of a great many siblings. My family was neither rich nor noble, and I tended to believe that I was right about everything.”

Ellana chuckled and he gave her an annoyed look. "If you interrupt me, I'll stop here." He threatened her.

"Forgive me." She hastened to reply. "Please continue.”

"I had a bad habit of meddling in things that were none of my business. Thinking I was some kind of vigilante or rebel. I can't tell you how many times my parents had to apologize for the damage I had done to this or that noble family.”

He hesitated to continue and decided to be honest.

"I was what you now call a womanizer. Multiplying one-night stands with young ladies of the nobility. I was quite popular and that soon brought me much more complex problems. It was much harder to calm an angry husband... "

Abelas wasn't very proud of that time.

"My father lost his job the day his employer realized that I had slept with his daughter and then abandoned her. I think that day I realized that I needed to calm down... Our family had a hard time recovering from that period, and they were relieved when I finally chose my path, taking me away from my debauched life for good.”

He watched the Inquisitor, who was clearly shocked, her eyes wide open and her mouth ajar.

"What?" He asked defensively.

"You? A womanizer? " She wondered. Half laughing. "Impossible!”

Offended, he gave her an angry look.

"Why is that? Am I not attractive enough? " he asked defensively.

"No, that's not it." She said, laughing. "You're very handsome, Abelas. I just can't imagine you sneaking into a young woman's bed at night and leaving the next morning..."

Did she find him attractive? He felt strangely flattered by the compliment.

"Yet, am I not in your bed right now? "

Ellana stopped laughing, watching him. A new kind of smile on her lips.

"Who says I'll let you go in the morning?" she whispered, putting her glass on the ground before coming dangerously close to him.

He felt his pulse quicken and moved back slightly. She let out a laugh.

"See ? You're far too sensible for this sort of thing." She said, as if his reaction proved her point.

This time he was really upset that she thought he was incapable of behave exactly like her at the moment. Deciding to silence her mocking laughter, he also put his glass down before pushing the Inquisitor back into bed, climbing on top of her, one knee between her legs.

She was completely motionless but had a slight smile on her lips. Slowly he stroked her cheek with his fingertips, going down her throat and clinging to the collar of her tunic, gently pulling on it to loosen a few buttons.

"And now? " he whispered in her ear. "Do you still think I'm incapable of this sort of thing?”

He could hear her breath jerking and her heart pounding. But he certainly wasn't expecting what was going to happen.

Ellana grabbed his neck and kissed him tenderly, her tongue came to caress his lips and when he opened his mouth to let out an exclamation, she deepened the kiss, letting her thigh rise between his legs.

He could not hold back an approving groan as he felt her thigh rubbing against his crotch, and she must have felt how much it affected him as she smiled through their kiss.

Before he could really react, the Inquisitor's fingers had slipped under his shirt and he jumped as her fingers touched his bare skin.

If he did not stop immediately, he was going to be in trouble. Thinking of Fen'Harel, he suddenly reopened his eyes, witch he didn't remember closing, and moved away from the bed backwards.

"Inquisitor, this isn't-- you shouldn't do this." He said, embarrassed and aroused at the same time.

"Why is that?" Ellana wondered, not the least bit unsettled.

"First of all, you're drunk." He replied seriously. "Second..."

He couldn't think of any other reason. But the first one was enough to keep him going.

"That's a big word." She said, laughing. "I've only had a few drinks, nothing strong enough to make me lose my sense of judgment.”

Temptress, she unbuttoned her tunic a little more and settled down lasciviously in her bed without taking her eyes off him.

She reached out her hand to him and beckoned him to join her.

"Come." She said.

He struggled not to respond to this bold invitation. Just kissing her could get him into serious trouble, even though he wasn’t the one who sought her affection. So, if he decided to join her now...

The bulge in his pants was giving him a whole different speech. All he had to do was obey the Inquisitor. All he had to do was join her to get what he had wanted since she had touched him in the dales.

As he was not coming, she unbuttoned one more button, revealing the shape of her breasts, and he stopped thinking.

Joining the Inquisitor, he captured her lips roughly and grabbed at her clothes to completely remove her tunic. It felt so good to have her against him, to hear her soft moans as he tasted her skin with the tip of his tongue.

Once her skin exposed, he let his hands caress her breasts, reveling in the softness of her skin and her perfume. He felt her nipples harden under his fingers and a wave of desire stuck him again, silencing his reason for good.

He abandoned her lips for a few moments to go back to her sweet skin, and sprinkled her body with kisses, descending lower and lower.

When he came across her belt buckle, he slowly unfastened it and took off her pants, leaving her completely naked before his eyes. He took time to admire her, obediently waiting for his next assault. She was beautiful.

When she bent slightly to him, eager for his touch, he felt his cock harden in his pants.

"Abelas." She Begged when she saw that he still wasn't touching her. "Isala na, mala" _I want you now_

Indulging her, he removed his shirt before placing his hands on the Inquisitor's hips and continued to kiss every bit of skin within his reach. Arriving between her thighs, he let his tongue slide slowly over her, exploring slowly and provoking an unrestrained moan of pleasure as she spread her thighs and slipped her fingers through his hair, imperiously.

He went on for a long time, playing with her clit with the tip of his tongue, wrenching exquisite moans from Ellana, inserting his long fingers into her folds until she climaxed for him.

He straightened up to look at her while she was still enjoying her orgasm and she gave him a slight satisfied smile before joining him for a kiss. He let himself fall on his back and she came and straddled him, undoing his pants to release his length. He let out a satisfied grunt as she grabbed him firmly.

In turn, she covered his chest with kisses, going up his neck and sometimes tearing short moans from him. When she reached his ears, she chewed the tip, triggering a new wave of desire in him. She whispered, her voice warm as honey.

" _nu'da'din'sal'mah" I want you again_

He grabbed Ellana's hips obediently and she let him do as he slid in her in a groan.

He'd never thought it would be this good after all those years. He had forgotten the bliss to be one with his partner. They stood still for only a few seconds before he began to move gently inside her. She clung to him, whispering his name so pleasantly that he would have given anything to hear it again.

He was kissing her while moving in and out, his mind focusing on their pleasure, her taste, what it felt like to be inside her. She clenched on his lenght at each thurst, bringing even more pleasure, leaving him craving for more.

After a moment, his movements became jerky as he felt his own climax coming.

He held on as long as he could, savoring the pleasure Ellana gave him by riding him like this, not wanting it to stop. When he could not hold on any longer, he tried to warn her.

"Ellana, dian ar reun" _stop i'm about to cum_

He did not noticed that he spoke in elven, and far from stopping, she maintained her rhythm on him.

"Me too, Abelas." She replied with a moan.

Incapable to hold any longer and with a long moan of pleasure he came in her. She came with him and let herself go against his sweaty, breathless chest.

Coming to his senses, he realized what he had just done and knew that if Fen'Harel found out, he would certainly be killed. He had acted impulsively, as he had in his youth.

Abelas was certain that this part of him no longer existed. That the foolish, impulsive young elf had become wise and composed.

But judging by the naked woman lying on top of him as he was still in her, he had been wrong. This time it was not the daughter or wife of a nobleman with whom he had had an affair, but the lover of a god...


	7. Doubts

At dawn, Abelas woke up in his bed, alone and cleary not rested.

Last night, he had given in to Ellana, had given her what she wanted and that he could not deny having wanted as well. Despite everything he had said in the past, this shemlen had had an effect on him, much more than he cared to admit.

He straightened up and ran a hand through his hair while looking out the window overlooking the Inquisition’s garden. As his gaze was lost in the void, he thought about what had happened after.

Once the fever between them had subsided, Ellana got up and walked to a small room to wash herself, leaving Abelas lying in bed with a sheet carelessly placed on his hips, barely hiding his nakedness.

He had wondered what to do. As he was about to ask her what she wanted, she came out of the bathroom smiling mischievously at him.

"I take back what I said, Abelas." She had said, anchoring her gaze in his own. "Now I know that behind this calm and reserved elf is a man who is able to enjoy a one-night stand.”

_One-night stand._

So, she had simply had a great time with him just for one single night. Strangely, far from comforting him, it had disappointed him. Of course, it was out of question to show the Inquisitor that he was not pleased by the news.

"Glad to hear it. " He had replied. "It was my duty to prove you that I wasn't lying about my past." _For lack of lying on many other subjects_ , he had then thought, a little bit guilty.

He had left her quarters shortly afterwards.

Back in his room, he had quickly washed himself before going to bed. He had missed the comfort of the Inquisitor's queen-size bed as he turned to his side, staring at the front door. His thoughts had been confused, a mixture of relief and disappointment, one related to the fact that he had silenced his desire, the other to the idea that Ellana had not for a moment considered building a relationship with him when she had completely offered herself to Fen'Harel.

Certainly, he was a god, but the Inquisitor did not know it at that time, the trickster god had presented himself to her in the attire of an apostate.

The jealousy he had felt towards Fen'Harel had baffled him. He didn't know what had happened between the Dread Wolf and the Inquisitor, but Fen'Harel certainly hadn't taken advantage of a drunken night to get his way.

" _teldirthalelan_ " [idiot] he had whispered to himself.

It wasn't like he wanted to have a relationship with Ellana, on second thought, it really wasn't his wish. But his pride was hurt that he wasn't even an option for her.

Out of his thoughts, he decided to leave the fortress for the morning. The icy air and a good walk around Skyhold would do him good. On the way, he ran into Ellana in the hall. She greeted him politely before resuming her journey, accompanied by Josephine who gave him a strange look. He did not linger too long on the ambassador's suspicious expression and continued his way to the main gate.

***

"Everything all right, boss?" Bull asked Ellana, who jumped on her seat, remembering where she was.

"Yes, I’m alright." She replied, directing her attention to the pint of alcohol in front of her.

The Inquisitor had ducked out of the war room as soon as she could, fleeing her advisors until dusk. She then settled into the tavern to share a drink or two with the charge.

"It doesn't seem like it, you've been sighing at regular intervals for almost an hour. " Remarked the qunari. "Long night?”

She shot Iron Bull an angry look.

"It wasn't funny, Bull. Abelas was very uncomfortable." scolded the Inquisitor, being careful not to give any details about what had happened.

"Don't tell me you didn't take advantage of this! " Gasped Bull. After all the trouble I went to arrange a private evening for you two..."

"What makes you think this is what I wanted?" asked Ellana, curious as to why her friend thought he did the right thing.

"Boss, with all due respect, only the sentinel didn't notice that you were constantly undressing him, with your eyes if not your hands..." remarked the charge’s captain. "Sera was on the verge of making indecent proposals in public, I told myself that something had to be done first.”

She opened her mouth to answer but changed her mind. After taking a sip from her pint, she asked Bull.

"Was it that obvious?”

"It would have been more obvious and you would have taken his clothes off yourself. "confirmed the qunari.

She couldn't repress a smile when she thought that was exactly what she had done the day before and looked away. Alcohol had affected her behavior. Even though she had not been drunk to the point of losing her self-control, she had clearly been uninhibited and had allowed herself to do things she would never have dared to ask under normal circumstances.

She thought back to the way she had provoked the sentinel, beckoning him to join her in bed and she felt her cheeks blush. To tell the truth, she didn't really know how to behave with Abelas anymore. After what he had told her about his youth and his... habits with women, she had tried to look dignified and relaxed afterwards, even though a lot of emotions had been running through her mind.

What worried her most was that she wondered if she had slept with Abelas to forget her meeting with Solas. At this thought, she couldn't help but feel guilty...

She sighed.

"You see, you're doing it again! " Bull exclaimed "Are you going to tell me what's going on?”

"Nothing," she answered suddenly tired. "It's been a long day and I need to sleep. "she added as she got up, leaving her glass half empty on the table.

***

Abelas had been waiting for an opportunity to speak with the Inquisitor, but all his encounters since then had been cold and impersonal. He regretted that he could no longer tell her stories about Elvenhan, answering her questions that were sometimes a little too invasive. The days were longer for him since Ellana stopped coming visit him.

However, it was out of question to come and disturb her. The message was clear enough for the sentinel to understand that he was no longer needed at the Inquisitor's side. He couldn't blame her, he had presented himself as a womanizer, so there was no reason for her to become attached to him in any way.

What bothered him the most was that he began to miss her presence, so much so that his heart raced every time she came to meet him, often at the least opportune moments of the day.

This was particularly the case when she knocked on his door quite late in the evening. He was surprised to find her there after sunset, a pile of scrolls in her hands and a candlestick dangerously threatening to ignite the documents she was struggling to keep balanced. Passed the surprise, he quickly unloaded a few scrolls from her and placed them on his desk not far from the entrance. She put the rest of her burden on it and placed the candlestick on the bedside table. This, together with the candles that were already burning in the back of the room, provided a pleasant subdued light.

"Inquisitor." Abelas politely bowed his head and greeted her. "What can I do for you?”

She stared at him for a few seconds without saying anything and smiled slightly.

"I need your talents to help me translate ancient texts." she said, pointing her chin toward the desk.

He approached the scroll pile and started to go through some documents quickly. These were fragments of ritual texts, obviously from several different temples.

"Of course." He replied without looking up from the texts. "Can I bring you the translations tomorrow morning?"

"No." Ellana cut off, to his surprise. "I need them immediately.”

"Now? " he wondered. "It's going to take almost all night, wouldn't you like to rest in your quarters while I translate all this?”

"No" she persisted. "I want you to teach me how to translate.”

He did not know how to answer, as her request caught him off guard. But as he had not heard from Fen'Harel for some time, he could not for the moment refuse anything from the Inquisitor. He repressed a sigh.

"As you wish, but we should still go to your quarters, if we have to work all night, we might as well do it in a bigger, better-lit room.”

He was about to get up when she grabbed his wrist to hold him down.

"No!" When he looked at her surprised, she added in a calmer tone. "I’d prefer to stay here.”

He did not protest, although he was particularly curious to know why she refused to return to her room. Not wanting to bother her with questions that might be too personal, he pulled the desk close to the bed, which was the only way to allow them to sit side by side.

Once installed, he drew the first scroll to himself and quickly read it. The sentences were a bit too complex to start with and he changed to something simpler.

Putting another scroll between them, he let her decipher the delicate writing.

"Can you read it?" he asked nicely as she leaned over the paper to try to decipher what was written on it.

"Vena... sou... rya dru sa alas'lan... bartua... bartuasha'te'lanem.”

He smiled at her accent and pronunciation, both terrible, but made no comment.

"To gain strength, one must sacrifice an Earth Child maiden." He translated. "However, the pronunciation isn't exactly right.”

" _Vena sou, rya dru sa alas'lan bartuasha'te'lanem_ " he repeated with the right accent. She widened her eyes when she heard him speak, truly admirative.

"When you say it, it sounds like a completely different language." she marveled.

Abelas could not repress a slight smile at the compliment. He met Ellana's gaze and the silence fell abruptly between them. Suddenly, aware of how little distance there was between them, he turned his attention to the document.

"The important thing for you is to acquire the vocabulary. "He said, clearing his throat and pointing to a word in the sentence she has just read.

"Here you have the verb, it is always placed at this point in the sentence and gives it its meaning.”

Ellana turned her attention to their work and began taking notes in a notebook she had brought with her. He watched her write quickly in common language. Once she finished scraping the paper, he resumed his lesson.

"You already know how to read ancient Elven, the only thing left to do is to acquire the vocabulary and grammar you need to make it your own. Some words are still used in clans like yours... " He had refused to pronounce the word Dalish. "So you will read aloud each of this documents and translate the words that seem familiar to you, it will be a good pronunciation exercise for you, and a way for me to measure the extent of your knowledge.”

Ellana accepted the idea enthusiastically and set about reading aloud the snippets of text she had brought with her. Abelas proved to be an excellent teacher and corrected her pronunciation after each reading. The Inquisitor seemed to have a lot of difficulty with the words containing the combination of the letters T and H.

"Atdhea," she said. "It means dawn, I think.”

" _Athdhea_ " corrected the sentinel.

"Atdhea. "repeated Ellana, trying to imitate him.

"No, _athdhea_. You must attenuate the sound with your tongue." He leaned forward to show her, placing the tip of his tongue between his teeth loosely. " _Athdhea_ " he said again. "Now your turn.”

He then realized that he was really close to the Inquisitor's face and that the latter was staring at him with a look that no longer had anything to do with that of a student. She still tried to reproduce what he had just shown her.

Seeing the tip of her tongue moisten her lips before she gently wedged it between her teeth, he felt his stomach clench.

" _Athdhea_." She whispered, finally managing to grasp the right pronunciation. Her eyes had not left Abelas' during the whole process.

It only took a second, her eyes flickered from his eyes to his lips and he closed the distance between them, capturing her lips in a fiery kiss.

His fingers went through her hair and he let out a sigh of pleasure when her tongue slid between his lips, making her way through, provoking a rush of desire in the sentinel's lower abdomen. A slight satisfied grunt escaped him as she grabbed his face firmly to prolong their kiss.

The scrolls were now completely forgotten, and he slipped his free hand on the Inquisitor's back, eager to feel the touch of her skin under his fingers.

As he was about to take off his shirt, she moved away from him, hesitantly. What he saw in her eyes cooled his ardor, pushing him to stop what he was doing.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried that he might have done something wrong.

"I'm sorry." She replied, suddenly with tears in her eyes. "I didn't mean to... I mean, I didn't come here for that..."

She seemed genuinely upset and he preferred to distance himself from her a little more, aware that he was the cause of her discomfort at that very moment.

"Forgive me." He said, looking away. "I have acted like a fool. It will not happen again.”

"No, it's me." Answered Ellana as she stood up. "I don't know why I came here tonight, I guess I didn't want to be alone..." she joined him and turned his face with her fingertips so he could look at her. "I'm sorry." she whispered before leaving abruptly.

Abelas suddenly found himself alone in his room, his heart was still pounding and as he closed his eyes, frustrated. He could still feel Ellana's touch, the warmth of her tongue on his lips, the touch of her fingers on his jaw.

With a long sigh, he let himself fall back on his bed and extinguished all the candles in the room with a wave of his hand. It was going to be a long night.

***

Upon arriving in the fade, Abelas quickly noticed Ellana's presence. Looking around him, he immediately recognized Mythal’s temple and the Vir'Abelasan. Thus, the Inquisitor could still cross the veil thanks to the well of sorrow. He soon joined her, noticing that many spirits were circling around her. For him they were almost invisible, ethereal and silent, but he had no doubt that for her, they had to be more consistent and particularly noisy.

Ellana was clad as a temple priestess, and he could not help but appreciate seeing her like this. Slowly he climbed the steps leading to the pool and could see that it was full again. She was sat by the water's edge, her feet touching the surface and her gaze fixed on the sky.

As he approached, she stared at him suddenly and he preferred to stop, waiting for her approval to advance further. He knew from experience that the well could be very persuasive when it came to defending its vessel.

"Abelas?" she asked curiously. "Is that really you?”

He took one more step and feeling no resistance from the spirits, continued to move forward.

"That's me." He answered in a calm voice. In the fade, their voices resonated strangely.

He came and sat down next to her, taking care to leave a reasonable distance between them.

"The priestess outfit suits you well." He commented without daring to look at her. Being in a sacred place helped him to keep his self-control.

"Thank you." she replied simply. She observed him and he stood still, letting her scrutinize him.

"Are you going to explain what happened earlier? " He ended up asking after a silence that seemed to have lasted hours, even if the fade tended to blur notion of time.

"I'm sorry." She said after a brief moment of hesitation. "It was special day for me tonight.”

"Is that so?" wondered Abelas, who hadn't expected this.

"Yes." She answered with a sad smile. "It should have been the anniversary of my death.”

Surprised, he couldn't help looking at her, making her laugh.

"You should see your face.”

"Are you serious?”

She rolled up her long sleeves and he saw the scars.

"A souvenir of the Dread Wolf." she said bitterly.

"Fen'Harel did this to you? " Abelas was offended, suddenly angry at his master.

"Not quite." Corrected Ellana, turning her attention back to the stars. "Despair and abandonment took care of that. He was only the spark.”

He was beginning to understand what she was getting at. Thus, Fen'Harel was unaware that his actions had driven the woman he had called his heart to attempt suicide. If he ever found out, it could be devastating for him and his plans.

He answered nothing, there was nothing to add. He understood pain, he understood sadness.

"I'm sorry you had to suffer so much." He said after a long time.

“Thank you" she simply replied.

They sat for many hours, silent by the Vir'abelasan, staring at the stars. From time to time she would ask him a few questions, which he would answer, and then they would fall back into a quiet silence.

After a while, she wanted to lie down and naturally came and put her head on his lap. At first surprised, he let her do so. An unspoken agreement between them seemed to have been made as he delicately slipped his fingers through her blond hair, making them slide between his fingers in a tender caress.

Just a few minutes later, she had fallen asleep.

***

The plan that Fen'Harel was fomenting was almost complete. He had just settled a few final details before going to sleep. If everything went according to his plan, his bed would not be empty for much longer.

When he plunged into the fade, he went in search of his sentinel. Abelas would have a crucial role to play in enabling him to achieve his ends. He hadn't contacted him for a few weeks and was hoping that his spy hadn't been unmasked.

He soon spotted the presence of his agent in the fade, however the location posed a problem for him. Why did he still have to be at Mythal’s temple? Since he had been chased away by the Vir'abelasan, Solas had been reluctant to return, but when he sensed Ellana's presence with the sentinel, he could not suppress his curiosity, nor a hint of jealousy that he was being tolerated by the well.

The journey was not long, and as he approached the temple, he turned into a wolf and continued on in silent footsteps.

As he arrived at the pool, he witnessed a scene that made his blood run cold.

Abelas, his agent, his coldest sentinel who despised modern elves, was sitting at the edge of the pool, the Inquisitor's head resting on his lap as he tenderly stroked her hair.

If he had not witnessed it himself, he would never have believed that he could behave in such a way. It was impossible. He could not.

Yet the look in his eyes deceived no one. He felt tenderness towards Ellana, the kind of look that only the Dread Wolf had the right to have for the Inquisitor!

This was going to complicate things greatly. How could he still be certain that his spy would obey his orders? He had no choice but to feign ignorance for the time being. Leaving the temple before he was spotted, he let his anger run free, ravaging whole parts of the fade with his magic. Once emptied of his energy but unfortunately not of his jealousy, he abandoned the dream to return to the waking world, determined to speed things up so that Abelas would not allow himself anymore freedom with the woman who belonged to him.

***

When she opened her eyes again, Ellana was back in her huge bed, warm under her duvet. She had a distinct memory of falling asleep on Abelas' lap as he gently stroked her hair.

She rubbed her eyes, erasing the last bits of sleep and scattering her thoughts. She must have embellished her memories, the sentinel was not so tender with her.

Despite their night together, she had always noticed Abelas' rather haughty side, his gaze when he laid eyes on her was always marked by a hint of contempt.

As she sat up in bed, she thought back to the first time she had met him.

"Our people? The ones we see in the forest, shadows wearing Vallaslin? You are not my people.”

She smiled sadly. She had been deeply offended that day, even though she had not said anything at the time. She remembered Solas too, discreetly clenching his fists as he wiped away the insult. How it must have boiled with anger to be assimilated with the Dalish by the sentinel.

Yet he had tried to reason with him at the time, she saw her former lover addressing Abelas.

"Your people yet linger..."

What if... what if Solas had tried to send a message to Abelas at the time?

Refusing to dwell on the subject any further so early in the morning, she put this thought aside to refocus on her relationship with Abelas.

He was definitely attracted to her, at least physically. The way he had kissed her the night before suggested that he had enjoyed their night of carnal pleasures and still felt attracted to her. However, he was distant and not very talkative, never taking the initiative to come and talk to her; it was always up to her to go and meet him.

At first, Ellana did not want to entertain such thoughts about Abelas, but she didn't really have a choice, whenever she found herself alone with him, she always ended up doing something stupid. Yet she had sworn to herself that she would not let any man have any influence in her life again.

Now up, she had leaned over to her balcony, wearing a simple and not really warm nightgown, but she didn't care. She had always liked the cold.

After a few minutes of clearing her mind by staring at the horizon, her cheeks, the tips of her ears and her nose were reddened by the cold. She thought of going inside when she saw Abelas coming out into the yard. He was already in his golden armor and seemed to be heading towards the training ground. Curious, she stood watching him from her perch as he was obviously preparing for an archery session.

She observed him for long minutes, noting the way he took the time to aim, the elegance of his every move, the precision with which he hit his target each time. She felt her heart racing slightly and forced herself to look away.

She was not to let herself go. She was the Inquisitor, her role was to hunt down Fen'Harel and prevent him from destroying the world. She was no longer Ellana, the naive young Dalish who had fallen into the arms of the Dread Wolf himself.

"Don't be fooled." She murmured to herself as she came back inside to warm up a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah it was so long since I posted here.  
> Hope you will enjoy this chapter as much as I do =)


	8. Choices

The expedition to the ancient Evanuri palace went well and Ellana decided not to join the journey again, preferring to send her agents for the full exploration. Instead, she locked herself up all day in the war room with her closest advisors.

Abelas was not allowed to take part in these meetings, but he suspected that the subject must surely concern Fen'Harel.

The wolf had come to visit him in the fade a few days earlier, informing him that the inquisition would probably be talking about him in the coming days and that he should not worry about it. Abelas had been a little surprised by the news, as the dread wolf was usually good at hiding his tracks.

He had been left at Skyhold with orders to wait for further instructions, without any indication of time. A month had passed since the night spent at the Vir'Abelassan with Ellana, and Abelas had hardly had another opportunity to be alone again with her.

He spent a lot of time observing her, however, and had noticed a change in her behavior. She used to divide her time between her pursuit of Fen'Harel and the day-to-day business of the Inquisition, but in the last few weeks she had hardly made any official appearances, neglecting her soldiers.

Contrary to what he had initially believed, Ellana didn't seem to hold a grudge against him for anything. She treated everyone with a certain coldness and obviously Commander Cullen suffered just as much. Abelas had kept an eye on the former Templar, and although he was almost always by Ellana's side, it was as if she couldn't see him. Abelas recognized the frustration in Cullen's eyes, he noticed the failed attempts to touch her or talk to her outside of work matters.

Something important had obviously happened in the Inquisitor's mind to make her change so radically in just a few weeks. As the days passed, Abelas feared that he would have to leave the inquisition before he had a chance to talk again with her.

He wasn't even sure what he wanted to tell her, but the sense of urgency wouldn't stop.

One evening, when he was back in his room, he saw a parchment sealed with green wax and bearing a seal depicting a six-eyed wolf's head. With his heart beating, he broke the wax seal and read the dreaded orders.

_LAST MISSION BEFORE IMMEDIATE EXTRACTION_

_New moon - isolating Inquisitor Ellana Lavellan outside Fort Suledin after dusk_

_Exact contact details will be sent later_

It was as if his heart had stopped beating. Thus he was going to have to isolate the Inquisitor on Fen'Harel's orders, the reason why he thought she would be at Fort Suledin was unknown to him, but the fact that this was his last mission before extraction could only mean one thing, whatever was asked of him that evening, his cover would be exposed.

The terms used and the details of the orders left him with the impression that Fen'Harel had decided to suppress the Inquisitor. Had Ellana become too dangerous?

He crumpled the paper before setting it on fire, destroying the evidence. What also surprised him was that another agent was present at Skyhold. He was convinced that he was alone here. An icy shiver ran through him at the thought that Fen'Harel might have placed another spy to watch over him... If he did, he might find himself in an uneasy situation.

The reason why the Emprise du Lion had been mentioned in his orders soon arrived, taking the form of an Inquisition’s agent whom he vaguely recognized when he appeared at the gates of the fortress.

Abelas was in the courtyard by chance when he heard the soldiers stirring on the ramparts. A few seconds later, the drawbridge was lowered and a soldier in poor condition collapsed to the ground. He was covered in wounds and the sentinel wondered how he had managed to walk all the way from Fort Suledin to Skyhold.

For it was indeed from the fortress that he came. Healers rushed to the poor man, checking to see if his heart was still beating before taking him to the infirmary.

It didn't take long for Ellana, accompanied by Cullen and Cassandra, to arrive on site. He followed them discreetly, taking advantage of the general rush to sneak, unseen, into the infirmary.

"Fort Suledin." Cullen breathed when he saw the face of the unconscious soldier.

"The fortress would have been attacked?" Cassandra wondered. "By whom?"

"Isn’t it obvious? " Asked Ellana coldly. The tone of her voice and her gaze surprised Abelas, who had never seen her like this before. "Fen'Harel decided to step up the pace.”

"Fort Suledin is very close to Skyhold." whispered Cullen, his gaze still fixed on the wounded soldier. "If he takes this outpost, we're going to be in serious trouble.”

"Get the soldiers ready. I'm going to Fort Suledin as a reinforcement tonight.”

"Nonsense!" yelled Cassandra. "What if he has already taken possession of the fortress?”

"I have already torn this fortress out of Ishmael's hands, I am not afraid to take it back from Fen'Harel.”

"If I am not mistaken, Fen'Harel himself helped you to take Fort Suledin..."

Her gaze at Cullen immediately silenced him, and Abelas felt an agonizing shiver run through his spine as he watched the murderous aura emanating from the Inquisitor.

"I said I was leaving for Fort Suledin tonight. Whether there are soldiers to accompany me or not is entirely up to you, Cullen.”

"Ellana...” The commander began, obviously trying to soften her up by dropping the protocol, but she didn't let herself be coaxed.

"I will not tolerate any protests! " she was angry now. "If Fen'Harel thinks he can take back my outpost without reprisals, he is wrong.”

"Perhaps this is precisely what he wants." Cassandra observed, to the relief of the sentinel. At last someone who made a sensible remark.

"In that case I would be happy to satisfy him.”

The warrior ran a hand over his face, visibly desperate.

"Maker... I will accompany you." she sighed.

"Thank you, Cassandra.”

She let her gaze fall back on the unconscious soldier, then left the room, leaving her advisors in the lurch.

"We can't let her do that." Cullen reproached Cassandra. "Why do you want to encourage her by offering to accompany her?”

"We have no choice, Commander. She will go, with or without us, and the creator forgives me, but I refuse to let her go alone to face an ancient elven god.”

"Solas..." Cullen spat angrily. "We should have locked him up as an apostate in Haven.”

Cassandra let out a light laugh.

"And we would have lost the only person who could help Ellana use the anchor. Without him, she would have died before she had a chance to save Thedas.”

Cullen didn't answer, but Abelas could see the frustration he felt at acknowledging the usefulness of Solas.

"I'm going to get the soldiers ready." he sighed.

***

Back in his quarters, Abelas began to reflect on the situation. As the soldier was still unconscious, they did not know what had happened in the fortress, but as he had allowed an agent of Fen'Harel to infiltrate weeks earlier, it was highly likely that a night attack had taken place, decimating the Inquisition’s forces.

If Ellana went to the fortress, there was a good chance that a fight would take place. And if Fen'Harel had dispatched his sentinels, she would be at great risk.

But the message about his last mission was ambiguous. He knew she was going to Fort Suledin. However, the new moon was only a few days away. This meant that she was bound to survive until then. Or maybe the wolf didn't expect her to go so soon?

Unsure, he paced in his room, thinking about survival chances if they threw themselves into Fen'Harel's trap.

When she knocked on his door, he opened to find her already in battle dress.

"I leave for the Emprise du Lion, Fen'Harel attacks the fortress and I must retake it." announced Ellana in one fell swoop. "Will you come with me?"

The last question had been pronounced in a softer, almost imploring tone and when he crossed her eyes he saw the anxiety in her green eyes.

"I will come." He said, unable to refuse.

She smiled slightly, it was devoid of joy.

"Thank you." She said before leaving without further ado.

***

"You’re gonna do what? "asked Dorian's voice through the magic crystal.

"You heard right the first time." Ellana replied for the third time. "Fen'Harel cannot act with impunity in lands protected by the Inquisition.”

"Are you aware that this is obviously a trap? " asked the magister.

"Of course, I know that.”

"So you go in knowing that it's a trap. Wonderful !”

"Dorian, please listen to me.”

"No, you listen to me! " the mage said from the other side of the crystal. "You ask me to remain calm while you’ll go almost alone to take over a dilapidated fortress from the hands of an ancient elven god who has decimated the entire garrison.”

There was a short silence.

"Don't you realize the stupidity of what you're doing?”

"Yes, I do." she replied reluctantly. "But it is the only way to force him out of hiding.”

"He seems to have stop hiding very well on his own, if you ask me.”

"I have to do it." She insisted.

Again, a short silence.

"I know, Ellana. But promise me you'll be careful, okay?”

"ok" she said, softer.

"I hate knowing that you go and face the worst psychopaths without me. So much glory lost to me.”

She couldn't hold back a laugh.

"I have to go. See you next week.”

Dorian seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before asking.

"Ellana?"

"Yes, Dorian?"

"You promise you’d be there next week?”

She did not answer immediately.

"I promise.”

***

They arrived at the approaches to the fortress in the middle of the night. The inquisition soldiers, led by Cullen, were not yet present but would soon arrive.

The plan had been to let Ellana go upstream, accompanied by Abelas, Cole and Sera. If it turned out that the premises had been requisitioned by Fen'Harel and his men, they were to infiltrate and open the doors before dawn.

If the battle were still in full swing, they would have to stand back and wait for troops.

Abelas suspected that, should the second option prove to be the case, they would have a hard time preventing the Inquisitor from throwing herself into the fray. But given the silence, it was a safe bet that the fight had been over for a while.

Corpses were lying on the ground and the Inquisition uniform was easily recognizable despite the snow that had formed a thin white film on their clothing.

Abelas watched Ellana make her way across the battlefield, her gaze falling sadly on each soldier. As she had stopped to bend and close the eyes of one of those with whom they had shared a meal a few weeks earlier, he heard a noise nearby and was not the only one to hear it. The three rogues vanished almost instantly, and he used a spell of invisibility to go unnoticed.

Two of Fen'Harel's agents had just come out; Abelas did not recognize either of them.

"I'm telling you, he crushed them in seconds.”

"So many soldiers in a single attack is impossible.”

"I swear it is, look.”

The first agent approached one of the bodies, which he kicked back irreverently. Abelas clenched his fists for the lack of respect to the dead.

"His heart stopped beating instantly. That stupid shemlen didn't even have time to see his death coming.”

The second officer came and crouched down beside the corpse to observe it.

"Fen'Harel is truly powerful." He murmured, impressed. "The inquisition has no chance against him.”

On closer inspection, Abelas realized that the two agents were young elves, certainly from a Dalish clan and barely old enough to wield a weapon. Indulgence was often required at that age, but it was clearly not Ellana’s opinion, who suddenly appeared behind their backs, a dagger in each hand.

With a dry and merciless gesture, she simultaneously slit the throats of the two young boys, spilling their blood in the snow. Abelas watched her dip her fingers in the still warm blood and spread it on her cheeks, drawing a bloody line that made her look terrifying.

“Tonight, Fen'Harel will mourn his soldiers. Death is coming to bring justice.”

She turned to her companions, who had come out of the shadows. None of them had dared to make the slightest comment.

"Kill anyone who does not belong to the Inquisition. No prisoners.”

Cole gave her a sad look.

They scoured the fortress, led by Ellana, who showed astonishment at the cruelty, leaving no one the opportunity to retaliate or even surrender. When the inquisition soldiers arrived, accompanied by Cullen and Cassandra, Ellana was waiting for them at the main entrance, covered in blood from head to toe. It was almost frightening, especially if you looked at the rest of her group, immaculate.

Abelas had focused on protecting the group, placing magical barriers over them. Sera had attacked from a distance, taking down archers posted on the ramparts. Cole had concentrated his attacks on the camouflaged soldiers, killing without the slightest splash. But Ellana...

The Inquisitor had gone into a murderous rage, ambushing soldiers in small groups, eliminating them without letting them time to warn anyone.

"By the creator." Cullen cried out when he saw her. "Are you hurt?”

"No. I think Abelas made sure to save me the most annoying blows.”

The commander glanced at the sentinel and Abelas simply nodded, his mind elsewhere.

No matter how hard he thought, he did not understand Fen'Harel's plan. Why send his men here if it was so that they could be killed by the forces of the Inquisition so easily? He had observed the soldiers posted at Fort Suledin and had not seen the slightest of his sentinels. All the agents were young recruits, either from alienages or rescued from slavery.

His thoughts were brought back to reality when Ellana suddenly collapsed in the arms of her commander, who barely caught her.

"She is exhausted." Abelas commented, advancing mechanically towards Cullen to relieve him of the Inquisitor's body. The former Templar gaze defied him to try to remove the young woman from his arms and he stopped, raising an eyebrow.

"Unless you have the magical skills to heal her, I would ask you to entrust me with the Inquisitor, Commander.”

The tension between them was palpable and it was Cassandra's voice that made him bend.

"By Andraste, Cullen, let Abelas take care of her.”

He thanked her with a discreet nod and came to pick up Ellana, but Cullen readjusted his grip to carry her more easily.

"I will take her to a place where you can heal her in peace.”

With these words, he turned back towards the camp that the soldiers had begun to prepare.

Abelas had no choice but to follow suit, cursing in the face of the Templar's stubbornness.

***

It was not without difficulty that Abelas was able to get a moment alone with Ellana. When Cullen deigned to leave the tent where she had been put, the sentinel first checked that she was not injured. When there was no apparent injury, he cast a healing spell to transfer some of his energy to her, hoping that she would wake up quickly.

Unfortunately, the spell did not have the desired effect and although she regained some color, Ellana remained unconscious. He delicately pulled a lock of hair from her face and watched her sleep, halfway between anxiety and relief. He vaguely heard the commander giving orders in the camp, busy ordering the inquisition forces who were gradually reclaiming the place. All Abelas' attention was focused on the inquisitor's breath, which lifted her chest slightly at regular intervals, her freckles discreetly scattered across her face, barely visible. She no longer wore the vallaslins of Mythal, but he still remembered her face when she had entered his temple. He was tempted to let a finger run over her alabaster skin, tracing Mythal's sacred tree back to where it should still have been. Her long eyelashes were slightly agitated, and he wondered what she could be dreaming about, the Vir'abelassan must have drawn her once more into the fade.

He still wondered why Ellana had gone this hard after Fen'Harel, to the point of becoming so exhausted that even he could not get her back on her feet despite his ancient magic. Nor could he silence the anxiety that grew inside him when he saw her so fragile and exposed, trying to find out when the Inquisitor's health had become so important to him.

The sun was about to rise, and he repressed a yawn caused by fatigue accumulated over the last few days, added to the energy he had just transmitted to the Inquisitor.

Only two more nights before the new moon, he thought, before gradually falling asleep, still at the Inquisitor's bedside.

***

The first thing Ellana noticed when she woke up was the feeling of Abelas' hand slipped into hers. She straightened up slightly and found him asleep at her bedside, his arms folded in front of him as a pillow, his left hand gently holding hers. She didn't know how long he had been there or where she was, but she refused to move, not wanting to wake the sentinel. A quick inspection revealed that he was still wearing his armor, his current position must have been uncomfortable, she thought then. She herself was still wearing her outfit from the day before and dried blood was cracking the leather of her armor. Her daggers were resting on a small table and she saw on the floor a basin of water in which a cloth was still soaking, red with the blood that it had wiped from her face. She imagined the sentinel cleaning her face and some of her hair, ridding them of remains of the battle, silently removing her war paintings before covering her with thick furs, and she felt her determination falter slightly.

She had promised herself not to be distracted by the sentinel. Only Fen'Harel's pursuit counted. For this reason, she had not approached Abelas so as not to be tempted to let herself go into the elf's arms despite her desire to snuggle up to him and forget about everything else.

But how could she resist him when the simple fact of seeing him asleep at her side made her heart beat a little faster. She felt like a teenager again, blushing at the sight of a hunter who had captured her attention.

While she was still watching him sleep, he changed his position slightly, turning his head to the other side while clutching her hand a little more firmly. He seemed to notice something and suddenly opened his eyes, crossing Ellana's gaze which hadn't moved.

Surprised by his sudden awakening, she took a few seconds before looking away, her cheeks rosy. She withdrew her hand, too embarrassed to dare look at his reaction. Inwardly, she cursed herself for acting so frivolously, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Abelas, if he had noticed his discomfort, had the courtesy not to make any remark.

"How do you feel?" he asked simply by standing up. He winced, probably because of aches and pains due to his poor posture and began to slowly relax his muscles. When she did not answer, he interrupted what he was doing and looked over his shoulder.

"I’m fine” She replied simply, fearing that a longer sentence would betray her discomfort.

"That's good. We were worried after you fainted last night.”

Memories of the day before were now clear in her mind and she vaguely remembered collapsing into Cullen's arms. Realizing that she must have been in one of the tents set up by the inquisition soldiers, she wondered why her advisors were not there.

"Where's Cullen?"

She noticed a slight frown from Abelas.

"Probably in one of the tents near here." He seemed to hesitate before adding. "He was particularly reluctant to leave you alone last night.”

She gave him a surprised look. Was it annoyance that she recognized in his tone? Abelas ran a hand through his hair and noticed that his braid was a mess. In precise gestures he began to undo it despite the knots, sitting on the edge of her bed. Ellana's gaze remained fixed on the sentinel's long silver hair. She couldn't help but remember the feeling of those hair between her fingers as he was buried between her thighs, giving her immeasurable pleasure.

A sudden warmth spread to her lower abdomen and she suddenly felt wet through her underwear. Red with shame, she looked away from Abelas, who hadn't noticed the Inquisitor's dismay.

"I need to wash myself. "She said abruptly as she hurried out of the furs under which she had slept, getting up and taking care to look everywhere except at the well-built elf next to her. She left the tent under the watchful gaze of the sentinel who had remained silent.

When she came out into the open air, she identified where in the citadel she was, seeing the half-ruined walls below. Some parts of the fortress were still in intact and it was normally there that the Inquisition had built baths, thanks to an ingenious system that stored the snow in a huge metal container under which a regularly fueled fire burned. The whole thing was connected to a pipe which allowed this deliciously hot water to flow directly into a large tank that could easily hold a dozen men. So, she went naturally to the baths and was delighted to find the fire humming under the container and the air filled with a thick mist of condensed water.

She had only one desire, to take off her bloody clothes and slip into the hot water. In the greatest silence, she took off her soiled clothes, leaving them in a small pile on the ground. When she was left with only her undergarments, she took one last look around to make sure she was alone before sliding her panties down her thighs, bending forward. The underwear was soaking wet and she was ashamed of her lustfulness. She undid the band covering her chest and slipped naked into the water.

The contact of the hot water on her icy skin almost hurt her at first, but that did not stop her from breathing a sigh of pleasure as she sat in the tub, immersed up to her chin.

After a few minutes, she plunged her head into the water to free her hair from its dried blood, rubbing her scalp as she held her breath. When she emerged, taking a deep breath of air, she suddenly realized she was no longer alone.

She wanted to turn around when she felt this foreign presence behind her, but the stranger deprived her of her movement by grabbing her wrists and immobilizing her without difficulty. Panic began to take hold of her as her assailant held her wrists firmly in one hand, his grip reinforced by a spell of paralysis.

Her back was resting on her attacker's bare chest and she wondered if her last hour had come. But far from attempting to murder her, the stranger slipped his free hand over her breast, playing with her nipple, making it harden between his skillful fingers. Ellana had to bite her lip so as not to moan at his ministration.

She had recognized the typical silhouette of elves, confirmed by the sensation of the hairless torso on her back. Given he was abnormally tall for an elf, there was not many possibilities left to identify the man playing with her body. Abelas had frightened her, but now that he was there, holding her completely at his mercy, she couldn't help but shiver with impatience as his fingers went further down her belly, stopping a few inches from where she wanted to feel him.

It was impossible for her to hold back a moan of pure pleasure when he bit her neck, immediately soothing the pain with his tongue and a wave of healing magic. She could feel his cock slide slowly between her thighs, already hard.

"Abelas..." she moaned, tortured with desire and incredibly wet.

"Guess again, Venhan.”

The shock when she recognized Solas’ voice made her gasp in surprise.

**Author's Note:**

> All elvhen language is from [Project Elvhen](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3719848)


End file.
